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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/28750488">Captive of the Black Pearl: Series Part 1</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/savvie496/pseuds/savvie496'>savvie496</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Captive of the Black Pearl [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pirates of the Caribbean (Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Captivity, Exploration of the Aztec curse, F/M, Gen, Independent lady (we love it), Steamy Romance, Unrequited feelins, Woman uses her wiles for survival, manipulative seduction, passionate love, some non con</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-05-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 03:42:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>46,409</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/28750488</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/savvie496/pseuds/savvie496</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Karina Lemaire is a dancer at the underground men's club Mary's on Port Royal. She beguiles some of the most powerful men on the island and sells their secrets to the highest bidder. Will an encounter with Pirate Captain Jack Sparrow change course for her?</p><p> <br/>Prelude/During Curse of the Black Pearl<br/>This latest chap will be done by Friday 5/14, am doing some serious planning. Thanks for your patience guys xx</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Elizabeth Swann/Will Turner, Hector Barbossa/Original Female Character(s), Jack Sparrow/Original Female Character(s)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Captive of the Black Pearl [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2246913</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>68</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>35</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A Fresh Face</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hey everybody,</p><p>First of all, welcome! I'm so glad you're giving the work a read! I've been going back and adding the music that I feel emphasizes the vibe of a chapter or scene. For the opening scene here, I was listening to "Habiby Ya Omry" by Amr Diab, he's a very talented Egyptian artist with infinitely great songs. The feeling at the beginning of this song especially matches the sultry rhythm of Mary's at this moment. </p><p>Hope you enjoy- always love hearing your thoughts &amp; reading your works!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>My body arched and swayed with the sultry rhythm of the night. The flute players' lips poised to deliver a sensuous note; my snakelike arms responded in tune. Each soft pluck of the strings signaled a sharp hip drop that, in turn, caused the silver coins on my hip scarf to clink together softly. I swiveled just so that my golden hair flipped at just the right angles, causing a few of the British soldiers that had crowded around me to drop a coin or two. It's no longer amusing to me, how easily a woman could bend a man's will and wallet with only a single movement.</p><p>The moonlight slipped through the cracked roof of the club, illuminating an array of faces, most familiar, some new. There's the governor, of course, his wig poised on top of his balding head, though a bit tousled after doing god knows what. A proper politician wouldn't you say? Our little hideaway on the oh-so aristocratic Port Royal gave these staunch men a little wiggle room to explore their depravities. And then there's Admiral Norrington, on his third brew, staring into his nearly empty mug, his mind no doubt seeking his next overseas conquest.</p><p>I make it my business to know the goings on in the minds of these figureheads of virtue in Port Royal. My parents were pirates. Yep, the whole deal. Swashbuckling, peg-leg, eye-patch wearing scallywags. I'm joking, only mostly. They participated in the dark side of commerce, dealing in arms and treasure with not so upstanding people. And they were the most virtuous people I've ever met. My father taught me how to defend myself with weapons, my mother, how to beguile and charm with words. I can survive because of the tools they gave me. And I did survive when they were killed by British colonizers. Seeing what had become of my parents on our defeated ship, I painted myself as the angelic, pitiful little girl born to the wrong people. And the soldiers treated me as such, knowing nothing of the searing heat of revenge swirling behind my sea-blue eyes.</p><p>I grew up in the governor's house, as a servant to him and, eventually, to his newborn daughter who was a decade younger than me. She is now a kind child, though rather sheltered. Always by the water that one, I wonder how she'll be as she grows up. I practiced the defenses father taught me every day and learned to dance from a woman at the underground men's club, Mary's, that I stumbled upon one day while exploring the island. Her name was Nina. She told me I held the natural talent of making men bend to my will and hold on to my words like drowning seamen. As she trained me in the art of dance, she also unlocked the key to how I would make a life for myself.</p><p>"See, ma baby," she'd thoughtfully croon, "when yer in the comp'ny of a powerful man, reel in his trust as well as his desire... hang on to what he says, no matter how little it seem. There may be a time it could be of use to ye." An obvious ex-pirate she was, but she knew all the well-to-do men in Port Royal. And they knew her. That's why she wasn't swinging from the gallows.</p><p>Blackmail. That's my profession. I sell my secrets to the Spanish, French, British, hell, even some pirates have come to me in search of answers. I don't pick and choose, the whole lot of them are the same: greedy, pompous assholes to be frank.</p><p>Just as the musicians wind down from a seductive melody, I notice a man in the back of the house, a big feather on his black hat. He was entranced by my performance. And I was entranced by his newness. I'd never see him here before, so I smiled lasciviously and started shifting my way toward him, giving another performer the spotlight so I could become acquainted with this obvious pirate.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. An Indecent Suggestion</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I sashayed closer to the dark figure, my bare feet barely touching the ground as if not to scare him off. A smile curves on my lips as his face becomes clear in the moonlight. He is a weathered man with shoulder-length chestnut hair and brown eyes. His attire suited to a man of the sea. Not one that would naturally attract me, but I react as if he is the only man in the world who could.</p><p>"Enchanté." I finally make it to his table and lower my head in greeting. My parents do have French descent, but this is one of the few French sayings I know. The others are mostly dirty. I twirl a lock of loose hair behind my ear and again meet his gaze. His mouth is agape and his eyes are wide. His shock leads me to think he often feels looked over, discarded. I tuck this assumption away like Nina taught me. "This is your first time to Port Royal?"</p><p>"Uh, yes darlin'," the man breathes, clearing his throat. "I've never done, uh, business ye'd say in Port Royal before now." His face was flushed and he took a large swig of the ale he had in front of him. "I thought so, I would've remembered you." I blush and grab a glass of wine from a serving woman passing by. The man grinned and laughed salaciously while stroking his light beard with the most disgusting fingernails I've ever seen. Actually, that's a lie, most men's hygiene here is about the same.</p><p>"May I sit down?" I feign a hopeful tone and glance at the wooden chair beneath me and back to the pirate. "Aye, by all means," he extends a claw-like hand emphatically. "I thought ye'd never ask."</p><p>I laugh and melt into the seat, leaning into the table so that my mysterious stranger understands my attention is all his. "Thank you, Kind Sir. It's about time for a small break." I sip my wine, the sweetness of the drink and hypnotic pull of the music hang heavy in the air. "This be all the world's offerin' to a goddess such as yerself, dancin for a lot of old drunks?" The man asked inquisitively and leaned in closer to me, eyes shining with intrigued curiosity. I smiled deeper allowing myself to laugh. "It isn't all bad, I hear tales from all over the world every night, it almost makes up for not being able to see it myself." I felt a touch of sadness in my eyes as I had just told him the truth. This job does have it's monetary benefits, but, adventure is my true calling. Pirate genes, I suppose.</p><p>The pirate suddenly caressed my free hand in his, stroking it with those nasty nails. I felt the instinct to jerk away in repulsion. I didn't show it; I never show it. "What if I were to tell ye, I can get ye a way out? Show ye the world?" I look down and stroke a calloused finger. "How am I to take the word of a stranger? I don't even know your name." I eyed him coyly. The key piece of information that I needed was coming. "Why excuse my manners, Miss. Captain Hector Barbossa, of the Black Pearl." My head snaps up and I shoot him a genuinely surprised look. "The Black Pearl, it exists?" "Ah..." Barbossa breathes a low chuckle, "Ye've heard of it?"</p><p>I had heard of it. My friends at Mary's and I swap stories of pirate acquaintances of ours. Some claiming some sort of connection to the mythic ship. Now, I appear to be sitting across from her captain. Though I'd heard from stories that the captain's name was related to a bird or something. "Only from stories," I ponder, "I'd love to hear more about it, but it is getting rather late." Barbosa's expression melts into disappointment. "Are you staying with us at Mary's this evening? We book a few rooms for important travelers such as yourself, Captain Barbossa." I raise an eyebrow and pout my lips. His lascivious smile returns when he understands my meaning. "Me Lady, that sounds delightful." He drug the word out as if playing out everything he hoped would happen that night. "If only I have the honor to share it with me very own siren that has caught herself in me trap." We both laugh, understanding one another. I smiled curtly, it's quite the opposite really.</p><p>Don't worry, I won't sleep with him. I haven't gotten anything yet. Here is a notorious pirate right here on Port Royal, quite literally near Admiral Norrington's nose. But first I need to prove it.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Two Captains</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Barbossa shifts his weight to stand and I follow suit, holding his gaze. "Have you arranged accommodations, Captain?" I stroke his ego by repeating the title, as Nina taught me. "Aye, Darlin," he crooned, crossing the table to stand next to me. "Ye needn't worry about nothin'.' He places a hand on the small of my back and guides me out of the main club down a narrow hallway toward the guest rooms. The hallway is dark save for the occasional candles on either side of the corridor. I hear muffled laughter of men and women behind closed doors as we descend further into the darkness.</p><p>Barbossa stops at a corner room, and he fumbles to look for his key in his trousers. "Where are those bloomin'..." he becomes frustrated when he can't seem to find them. "Allow me, Captain," I whisper softly. I slowly raise a hand and inch inside his shirt pocket. Barbossa gasps as he leans closer into me, his eyes lull shut. Without having found the key, I remove my hand and trail my fingers down his body until I reach his belt. I gently tug it until he's not an inch from my own body. I continue to search his trouser pockets until, at last, my fingers curl around a hard piece of metal. I also brush against a piece of paper in the same pocket, so I reach around him with my other hand and hold the small of his back while I remove both the key and sheet. I grasp the page in one hand and pull back the key with the other, dangling it in front of Barbossa's face playfully. "Ah..." He laughs, "So it were there all along." I let him unlock the door while I tuck the folded paper inside my coin skirt.</p><p>He lets the wooden door creak open and motions for me to enter. Even though I have been inside each of the guest rooms many times, I act as though this were his domain, and I under his power. The modest room reveals only worn wooden planks, a small dresser, and bed with a high, intricately decorated backboard and sheets of dark purple velvet. "Make yerself comfortable," charms the pirate as I make my way over to the window, eyeing beyond the glass for a peak at the ship unlike those of the British fleet, the Black Pearl.</p><p>The coins of my hip scarf clink softly as I move closer toward the window; Barbossa's eyes stare into the back of my head, curiously. I hear his heavy boots slowly creak louder as he crosses the room. He stops directly behind me and I can smell the ale that coated his beard as he places a hand in the crook of my back. "What be ye lookin for, lass?"</p><p>"Oh, just a glance at the wondrous Pearl, Captain." I turn my head to meet his eyes. "Something so magnificent and free, one can't help but wonder what it must be like to see the world as carefree as you must." I turn to face him and lean my back against the chilled glass. Barbossa cups a handful of my hair and brings it up to his face, inhaling my vanilla and jasmine perfume with a groan and letting his eyes lull shut.</p><p>"Ah," he said at last breathing a low chuckle, "An' ye needn't wonder any longer, Darlin." He trailed a finger down my cheek, that jagged nail made my skin crawl. "It would be me utmost pleasure if ye were to join me when the crew makes ready to return to open waters." I laughed out loud, what was he saying? Leave behind a roof over my head, steady wages, and the web of blackmail I've worked years to create over fabrication under the guise of flirtation?</p><p>Of course I said none of this to Barbossa, I instead placed my hand playfully on his arm and answered: "Oh Captain, I've had land legs for so long, I wouldn't know where to begin in a world of piracy."</p><p>"Ha ha," Barbossa guffawed, clutching me tighter. "The way ye dance and sway on dry land, me siren, ye wouldn't have no trouble at all gettin' yer sea legs." He suddenly bent down and gripped the backs of my thighs and lifted me up to let me perch on the window sill. I gasped and laughed, lacing my hands together behind his neck. "On what pretense do you have whisking me off Port Royal, Captain, whose errand do you run?"</p><p>"Well that would be mine, Love," said a silhouette of a man standing in the doorway of the room.</p><p>Barbossa suddenly whips his head around and glares at the intruder, his grip still tightened around my waist. "Jack, I told ye I had it handled." Barbossa snapped. Alarm bells sounded in my head and I quickly retrieved a thin sword I had hidden behind the velvet curtain, slashing Barbossa's forearm to loosen his grip. As he unhanded me, I quickly sidestepped between the two men. "And what exactly do you have handled, Barbossa?" I pointed my sword at him as he cursed in pain at the lashing I just gave him.</p><p>"Ouch," the second man winced at the red stripe on his cohort's arm. I whipped my sword around toward him. "I'm waiting for an answer; what is being handled? Who are you?" I edged toward the bed, to keep them both in sight. "I beg your Pardon for the..." He cleared his throat and glanced at Barbossa amusingly. "intrusion, Miss. Lemaire. I'm Captain Jack Sparrow. Of the Black Pearl. " He gently stepped forward extending his hand. I raised an eyebrow. Not only did this man know my name, he too was apparently the captain of a ship that probably doesn't exist. I can't help but let out a laugh. "How is it that there are more people in this room than not claiming to be captains of the Black Pearl?" Jack's smile disappeared as he eyed Barbossa who was warily watching the conversation unfold. "You told her you're captain?" Barbossa was quick to retort. "It were the only way to gain her trust." "And a fine job you did of that, Mate." Jack snipped, wide-eyed motioning to my sword. "She's got a blade to both our necks."</p><p>"Listen," I interjected and both heads snapped in my direction, "I hate to disrupt your quarreling, but I'm on in ten minutes for the last show of the night. Whoever the supposed captain is, what can I do for you?" "Oh yes, Love. That would be me." Jack's smile returned and he sauntered over toward me with arms extended openly. "Karina Lemaire, can I call you Karina, it's got such a lovely sound to it." He eyed me up and down. "I see the pretty name matches it's owner well." I can't help but genuinely blush. This man had a touch of mischievousness about him that intrigued me. With long, dark hair and warm brown eyes, I caught myself gazing in them longer than necessary. No, this man knows who I am, probably my pirate origins as well. I shook my head and put on my sternest look. "You can call me whatever you please, but I need an explanation as to how you know me and why you've come to Port Royal." "And you'll get it." He assured me and turned around slightly motioning for Barbossa to come forward. "Let's see it." Barbossa started searching in his pockets, his face becoming paler by the second as each pocket turned up empty. "Oh," I smiled embarrassed. I reached down the back of my coin skirt and pulled the folded sheet out from its hiding place. Both men watched my hand with slightly open mouths as it traveled from my waist up to eyeline. "Is this what you're after?" I say with a playful shake of the wrist.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Changing Course</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Barbossa stared at his pockets and then up at me, baffled. "How did ye..."</p><p>"Well." Jack cleared his throat. "Right then." I winked at the befuddled Barbossa and slowly began unfolding the sheet. It was heavy, like cloth. Its look and feel resembled a pirate map, but the more I could see of its contents, the more bewildered I felt. I carefully laid it over the bedspread, analyzing the markings. The dark blue lines came together to resemble what looked like an island, at least, part of one with symbols and directions that I only vaguely remembered from childhood. While one side of the map's edges was smooth, the other was cragged and torn, right down the middle of the isle. I trailed my finger over the crooked edges, recalling a faint reminiscence from long ago. This image brought to my mind a memory onboard my parents' ship, the waves bobbing us up and down like a cork. My father, Jean-Baptiste Lemaire, had lain a map on the large helm and was examining it thoroughly, the wind winding its way through his copper curls. I was straining to catch a glimpse of what my father was gazing at so intensely, when my mother, Marlène, hoisted me up to get a better view, gently pushing reddened gold hair away from my face. Blue lines etched their way forming an island, very similar to the image that I now faced. Only, the half that was crooked was smooth and vice versa. "See that, Mermaid?" My father smiled at me, the deep lines around his mouth and in the corners of his eyes infecting his wife and daughter with happiness, "Isla de muerta..."</p><p>I hid this revelation behind a perplexed glare, not yet wanting these pirates to know my thoughts until their intentions became clear. "Alright." I shut the map quickly. Jack and Barbossa had been eagerly hovering over each shoulder and suddenly snapped back with my brisk motion. "What is it that's led you to believe I have any connection to this?" I held the map up to Jack, questioningly. "Because Darling," Jack smiled knowingly his eyes sparkling, "We pirates know you, Karine Lemaire, the blackmailing temptress whose secrets start battles." Jack gently took the map from my hands. "A lot of which help distract the bloody British from tailin' us out at sea, savvy?"</p><p>When I said nothing to deny these allegations, Jack continued, lowering his hat and holding it over his chest somberly. "Not to mention your dear old mum and dad, God rest their souls." He seemed genuine when he said this, so I nodded to signal that we understood one another.</p><p>"What do you want with Isla de Muerta?" I asked finally. Jack's eyes gleamed and his smile returned. "Right!" He held up a finger excitedly and returned the map to his belt. "Do you know the value of Aztec gold, Karina?" That caught my attention. "Not exactly, but I can guess, it'll make me rich beyond my wildest dreams so I can stop flattering washed-up drunks for their coins and secrets?" Jack and I both glanced at Barbossa who glared at me up and down, obviously shocked by that comment. "What? You really thought I was head over heels for a stranger in a wine house?" Barbossa's flustered look mellowed into lust. "One day me siren..." he trailed a finger down my arm. "Trim those fingernails and we'll talk." I jabbed and shook my head amused. "Sorry Hector," Jack grinned. "Now, Karina, you think you're doing well now. Come with me onboard the Pearl, show us the way to Isla de Muerta, you'll make a life for yourself. A life good ole Jean-Baptiste himself would want for his only daughter." I fought back tears as best I could, one rebelliously made its way down my cheek from the corner of my eye. "Ye said it yerself," Barbossa interjected. "Ye always wanted to see the world." I looked them both in the eye. "Even if I had the other half," I glanced down at the map and back up to meet Jack's eye. "Why not just steal it and leave me hanging out to dry." "Because, a ship's crew gets along better with a woman onboard, makes everyone less gruff, softer." I raise an eyebrow. "And," he continued, I knew your parents well as a lad. They showed me mercy when I had nothing left." His solemn look convinced me that he spoke truth. I had a way of sensing these things in people. I pondered this proposal as quickly as possible in my mind. I had a life here, stability. By day cleaning up after the governor's child, by night dancing. I had a place to lay my head, at the governor's mansion or among friends at Mary's. Here I was free. Well, more free than most other women on the island. I made my own choices, with what little I arrived with. Could this be a chance to reclaim my old life that my parents were stolen from? Just then I knew who I needed to consult.</p><p>"How long will you be docked here?" I look to Jack who has been eagerly waiting for my response. "We'll be here til midnight, off the Eastern side" "Alright, give me til then. I need to patch up some loose ends." The men look to each other with hopes of gold in their eyes. I suddenly point the sword to Jack's neck. "But try anything at all," I slightly dug the sword in, not enough to draw blood, only fear. "I won't be hesitant to go deeper next time, capiche?" Jack nodded, hands up in surrender. "Aye, Miss Lemaire, you have the word of a captain, savvy? Not a hand shall be lain on you. And your reward shall be more than you can fathom." His sincerity was evident. This was not a heartless man. I carefully removed the blade and dropped it to the floor. "Right then, midnight." I sauntered over back toward the window, pondering how to proceed. "Aye, there be a dock less guarded than most. Meet us beneath it when yer ready." Barbossa instructed, eager. I watched the dark sea shimmer with possibility and eyed the redcoats patrolling the Northern dock with singular precision. I swivel around and look to the pirates. "Midnight. You'll find me under the Eastern dock." It was done. Simple as that, I'd left my care in the hands of pirates I'd barely begun to know. But, my mother's words rang in my ears, reminding me that "where's the fun of going through life without rolling the dice?" "I assume you can see yourselves out?" I ask, an eyebrow raised. "Aye," Jack smiled, knowingly. I nodded and brushed past them toward the rickety door. "Karina," Jack called out after me. "You've grown into a fine woman. I know old Jean and Marly would be proud." I smile, glancing to the floorboards and back up at Jack. "They'd be proud of you too, Jackie." A memory so far away had been growing nearer throughout the evening. Of a young, strong-willed girl chasing after her playmate on the decks of a ship. A long-haired pirate child with no parents, and laughter that filled her days with joy. They would lay awake gazing at the stars on a ship churning up and down across clear-colored waters, the boy telling stories of worlds beyond, filling Karina with imagination. "You've made that up, Jackie." She'd tease. He'd shrug, his brown eyes full of the reflected light of the stars overhead, smiling at her. "Maybe, but that's nothing compared to the adventures we'll have Karina." The little boy had been dancing his way across her memory that evening, and she knew, unmistakably, that here, some fifteen years later, was Jackie. Her childhood friend that would guide her back to the sea.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Nina</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Auntie?" I peered inside the door of the costume room for the performers, hurriedly looking for Nina. I creaked open the door brushing past rows of colorful veils, coin scarves, bottles of cosmetics on the floor. "Over here Kari, Darlin'". Nina was bent over looking in a mirror, simultaneously applying blood red lipstick and powder to her cleavage. She snapped upright, adjusting her bustier, and lovingly smiled at me. "Come ova and sit with your auntie and fix her rouge why don't ya." She elegantly sat at the vanity stool beneath her and motioned for me to come closer, holding out her hands for mine. I hastily brushed past other performers and took the sweet woman's hands in mine, giving them a gentle squeeze. She was a dazzlingly woman, though with deeper crow's feet and strands of grey in her hair than when she first taught me to hip dance. "Why so quick, Child?" She exaggerated surprise while eyeing me playfully, "Ya got somewhere to be this late?"</p><p>"Truthfully," I say taking a seat beside her and selecting a deep berry blush from the vanity. "Something, uh, unexpected happened this evening." Nina heartily laughed and smiled mischievously with her golden brown eyes, "Does it have somethin' to do with that man I saw ye talkin' to?" We both chuckle. I dip the brush into the pan and swirl the purple cream. Nina closed her eyes, expectantly waiting for me to apply the rouge. "In a way it does, actually." I begin dabbing the blush to her high-boned cheeks and nose. "Eh?" She opened one eye with a scolding look. "I won't be havin' some penniless pirate take ma baby away makin' them false promises."</p><p>I give Nina a bittersweet look. After my parents were killed leaving me stranded on Port Royal, I was lucky to have found a mother-figure, protecting me when I was young and guiding me as I grew into a woman. Loving me like a mother after mine was stolen far too quickly. "Not that one exactly, Nina." I smooth the product into her skin, "Do you remember when I told you about my friend, Jackie?" Nina smiled. "Oh I remember yer stories of your parents' adventures." She laughed, conjuring up some memory in her mind. "I do remember ye telling me of yer little playmate." Nina synched her brow, "But Baby, that man looks too old to be the little bright-eyed friend of your past?"</p><p>I begin drawing black lines framing her eyes how she liked. "No Nina, it wasn't that man. Another joined us when we left the club. He…" I paused, remembering the same warm brown eyes and hair, the way he gestured emphatically, drawing in all to listen to his ideas. "He was Jackie. I know it. He knew my parents… It was him. Now he says he's captain of the Black Pearl." Nina gently pushed the brush away from her eye and looked at me, sternly. "What does he want, Kari?"</p><p>"He had a map. Identical to one my father had, I could swear it." Nina listened intently, not interrupting. "It leads to an island supposedly hiding old Spanish treasure. If we could use both pieces of the map, then… Well we'd be rich. I could come back, get you a house off Port Royal, Auntie. So you wouldn't need to keep dancing."</p><p>Nina's cautious expression melted into a melancholy smile. "Child, I love ye, though I didn't know your motha, I know you got her spirit. Ya don't gotta explain these longings to me, Kari. They're in your blood just like they were in mine when I was young." She stroked my forearm, the pirate blood beneath. "Don't worry about me, Love. Ye gave me a chance to grow ya up, when I couldn't have a child of me own." She cupped my chin in her hand. "If you sure this be your Jackie, go, follow your heart. Have an adventure. Ye deserve a life more than sittin' on this rock forever." Her eyes darkened. "But be wary. Ye may know this boy, but ya don't know who be with him on that boat." I nodded. "Yes, Nina." I finish elongating the lines, creating a cat-like allure to the woman who gave me love when it was ripped out from under me.</p><p>We both bit back tears when she said. "Go, pirates don't stay docked in daylight." I nodded and squeezed her hand. "Remember ma Kari, you have the gift of deceit that women with a hard life possess, use it if ye must. Just keep yourself alive and happy for your auntie." She wraps me in her warm embrace, I feel a tear hit the back of my shoulder. "Thank you, Nina. You grew me up just fine." I smile and hurry out of the room before I would burst into tears. I look back quickly, to blow a kiss to the only mother I vividly remember and rush out the back door into the night.</p>
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<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Back to the Sea</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The warm breeze whips through my hair and fills my lungs with nervous excitement. I look out at the vast blackened ocean. It was stilly quiet, as if patiently waiting for our long-awaited reunion. My bare feet touch sand, still hot from the day's sun. I began trekking up to the governor's house, down backways through town where the redcoats rarely walk. I nod at the familiar faces of bakers, fruit-sellers, and blacksmiths as I make my way through the island town. I realized that I may not see these familiar sights for a long time. I push this thought away so as not to lose track of time as I hiked up the steep hill to the governor's house.</p><p>Crickets chirped as I silently crept through damp grass to the servant's entrance. Suddenly I hear men's voices coming from the around corner of the house where the servant's door was situated. I quickly crouch behind some bushes that were framing the house, holding down my skirt to quiet the coins. Two elongated shadows crept from behind the brick. I arched my neck to get a closer look. It was Admiral Norrington and Governor Swann, strolling past me toward town. I press my back against the cool brick and hold my breath, my heart pounding in my chest. I squeeze my eyes shut and pray they won't hear it.</p><p>"I swear, Sir. I know it was a pirate." Norrington was on the pirate chase as usual, that pole-up-his-ass tone cutting through the silent air. Governor Swann waved his hand lazily. "Oh James, please. Just because someone isn't dressed in uniform doesn't make them a lawbreaking treasonous scoundrel." "He was there," urged Norrington "Talking with your servant, Karina."</p><p>"Oh, shit!" I whisper and quickly cover my mouth.</p><p>Norrington whips his neck around eyeing my refuge of bushes. "You remember James, I was there as well and I saw nobody of the sort. Poor girl though, it's a pity. One would think living under my roof would lead her to more honorable professions." Governor Swann grasped Norrington's arm and continued strolling past the corner of the house. As their voices faded into the darkness, I slowly inched my way to the servant entrance and slipped inside. Lucky for me, the governor is a lightweight because I was only a few tables away from him this evening. 'Honorable professions, indeed.' I thought shaking my head, 'Wiping up after you is the only thing a woman is allowed to do around here.' I eased my way down the hall and quietly opened the door to my room. Inside I glanced past the small bed with the metal frame to the modest dresser. I opened it and began throwing clothes into my costume bag.</p><p>'Oh,' I shudder at my coin skirt and bustier. 'Can't board a pirate ship looking like this can I.' I slip the skirt off with a loud clink and replace it with a tan knee-length skirt. I quickly fling the maroon top over my head and lace a matching tan blouse over my chest. As I pack more clothing into the bag that was by now bursting at the seams, I find the black vest my mother had given me at the back of the drawer. I check its pockets for the contents she had strategically placed inside. A small knife at the upper right, pistol that I regularly kept loaded on the left, and finally, a golden neck chain with a single teardrop diamond as a charm that her great-grandmother had given her when the family was still living in France. The only family heirloom I would have. I carefully unclasp the hook and lace it around my neck. My hair had become wild with the wind and humidity of the night. I pat the necklace to my chest and fasten the vest around me. 'Oof,' it's tight. 'My mother was quite a smaller woman.' The vest pushed my chest up and I laughed, it felt somewhat like a corset. I patted the vest when I feel it stiffen under the bottom left pocket. My eyes widen. The crucial piece of my newfound freedom beneath the black fabric had been located. I ease open the pocket to reveal the torn map to Isla de Muerta, my father's final unfinished voyage, held in my hands. I open it and blow a cloud of dust that fades into the streaked moonlight coming from the window. The half-isle stares at me clear as day. I feel a rush of excitement take hold of me as I realize that nothing else stands in the way of what was to come.</p><p>I hold the necklace to ground me and nod, bending to lift my costume bag filled to the brim with clothes. I felt like a fugitive. Good lord, I was already a pirate. I secure the bag across my body and hurry out of the room, easing the door behind me. I start toward the servant door when I hear a small voice echoing behind me.</p><p>"Karina?" Young Elizabeth's voice echoed from the hallway. I turned to look at her. She noticed my bag and looked up at my eyes, mouth agape. "Lizzy," I bend down to look in her eyes and motion for her to come to me. She warily inches her way towards me, confusion and sadness written across her face. "Promise me you won't tell your daddy about this." She nods. "Why are you going? Have I been bad?" I smile at her, knowingly. "No, Dearest," I stroke her hair tenderly. "You've been nothing but good. But…" I glance toward the door. "I need to know where I come from. You'll understand when you're older." I grip the sides of her arms gently but firm. "Listen," her focus was on mine intensely. "Don't let anybody take away your imagination or stifle you in a role you know in your heart you can't fill. Love easily and fully, fall in love with who you become." She nodded, crystal tears brimming her eyes.</p><p>"Bye now, Lizzy. I hope to see you soon." I stand up, pat her head and find the servant door. I don't hear a sound as I close it. I'm confident she won't tell her father, and even so, I'll be long gone on a ship they don't believe exists so it wouldn't matter.</p><p>I hurriedly jog back down the hill toward the Eastern side. Fire burning in my lungs not from exhaustion, but exhilaration.</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. The Black Pearl</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I briskly walk back through town, people only glanced up for a moment to acknowledge my passing. They assumed I had an overnight show at Mary's. This assumption proved vital in my getaway. The shops and corridors became more sparse as I felt sand replace the dirt road underfoot. I narrowed my eyes, scanning the dark sea for the Black Pearl. 'No,' I thought, 'They're not so stupid as to make it visible to the British. Those bastards attack anything that moves.' The sand becomes softer and more malleable, slowing my gait. I keep close to town in case any soldiers happen to be patrolling the Eastside. I spot the pier and feel a pit in my stomach. 'No turning back now.'</p><p>I see two figures beneath the dock and hurry my gait, glancing behind me for any trace of followers. The pirates' faces came into view and so did a dingy bobbing against the crashing waves. "I haven't been followed. But Admiral Norrington saw us together, he knows you're a pirate." I tell Barbossa and motion for us to go. "Let's get this bloody boat moving." They both seem unnerved. Jack eyed me up and down. "Look at you, Love." He smiled "You are a pirate's sight for sore eyes." "Aye," chimed in Barbossa. I roll my eyes at the pair of them. "Shall we go?" "Aye," Jack snapped to attention, untying the dingy from the dock. "Do ye have it?" Barbossa inquired, referring to the map. "I do, but you're not getting it til I'm on that boat." He chuckled low. "My apologies, me Siren." I smile curtly and help situate the dingy in the water.</p><p>The waves splash my legs warmly and I breathe in the salty air, taking in a peace I hadn't known in years. The sea laps my skirt and Jack extends a hand to help me into the dingy. I take a seat next to Barbossa as they each grab an oar and begin rowing.</p><p>As we get further and further out to sea, there is still no ship of legends to be seen, and I begin feeling alarmed. "Can I be frank for a moment?" I ask. "Aye, Love." Jack nods. "What's on yer mind, Missy?" Barbossa inquires. "Well, as I don't see a ship anywhere in sight, I'm getting a feeling that maybe you two aren't who you say you are and could very well steal my map and toss me to a watery grave."</p><p>Jack laughs. "Is that so? Well, I hadn't thought of that Darlin' you've made me whole plan a lot easier, eh?" He shakes his head, smiling. "I remember you in nappies remember?" I chuckle, steadying my nerves. "Right. You look so different, but I knew there was something familiar about you." Jack blushed, nodding. "You were, and always will be unforgettable, Karina Lemaire." I blush looking to the ocean.</p><p>"So where'd you come up with Sparrow? "I ask at last. Jack stops rowing for a moment and rolls up his sleeve to reveal a faded tattoo of a sparrow in flight. "That," He began "is a tale for another time, Love." He winks and I nod, understanding he is implying the need for more privacy. "I'll hold you to it." I smile coyly and continue scanning the line between sea and sky for the Pearl. The water's calming rhythm and the exhaustion I feel from the night's events lull me close to sleep. I try concentrating on the stars above flickering with diamond-like shine, but even this proves futile in rousing my tired mind. "Best not be gettin' too comfortable, Miss Lemaire." Barbossa's words bring me out of a fog. "Feast yer eyes." I snap to attention and see Jack studying me, with an eager glimmer in his eye. "Take a look behind you, Darling." I swivel around, causing the dingy to rock from side to side in my haste. I am faced with a massive black vessel with tattered sales flapping confidently in the raucous wind. It gave a new meaning to the color 'black.' A torn flag unapologetically displaying a skull and crossbones flapped at the tip. This was the largest ship I could ever recall beholding. It had an air of freedom unlike the uniform ships of the British fleet that inhabited Port Royal. I began studying my new refuge from every angle, wondering what my parents would think at this change of fate. "You still believe you're in for a watery grave?" I whipped back toward Jack and shake my head, smiling. "The stories don't do it justice."</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Make Ready the Sails</h2></a>
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    <p>Just then, a rope ladder is cast over the railing with a clatter, landing a few feet from the rowboat. Elusive figures grip the side and peer downward, watching from above. The men steadied the dinghy as we hover beneath the ship. I brush my fingertips against the dark wood, gliding them across the dampened crevices. I balance myself in this way as I begin to stand, my wobbly knees causing the vessel to quiver beneath me. "Steady now," Barbossa grips my hips until the stillness returns. "Thank you." I exhale shakily. It had been at least fifteen years since I'd been on a boat, let alone trying to stand in one. I slung my belongings across my body and hooked an elbow through the ladder. "I've got it." He releases me and I grip the other side, stepping onto the rickety wooden rung.</p><p>I feel the ladder being pulled upward, and I grasp the ropes with white knuckles, stifling a yelp. I warily glance between the rungs and gasp, wide-eyed as the sea slips further and further down. I arch my neck upward as voices onboard became louder. The faces of the spectators come into view as I reach eyelevel to the ship's railing. A titan of a man reaches for my hand with a muscled forearm and I take it cautiously. "Thank you…" I look to his stern face, synched brows and set jaw, searching for a name. "Bo'sun." He grunts and I nod. "Bo'sun, thank you." He mumbles something and steadies me on the deck, casting the ladder overboard once more.</p><p>I am met with a circle of hardened pirates surrounding me. A sea of blackened teeth bent into salacious smiles, ragged garb, and unyielding eyes bear down on me. They study me curiously, some snickering, some firm-jawed with weapons in hand. I summon the courage within me to meet their eyes with calm austerity. I had quickly learned after being thrust onto Port Royal with no family or possessions that if a woman is to receive any respect at all, she must demand it with every fiber of her being. And so, I trained my gestures, body language, and facial expressions, to deceive even when desperately wishing to curl into a ball on the floor.</p><p>"Pleased to finally make your acquaintance, Ma'am." A thin pirate with a glass eye and sleek brown hair calls timidly to my left, slightly bowing. My eyes melt into a smile as I sense his respect. "Likewise. What's your name?" He smiles eagerly and another pirate next to him interjects. "That there's Regetti, don't pay no attention to him. He gets nervous 'round pretty girls." Regetti blushes, shoving his friend with embarrassment. I chuckle and raise an eyebrow. "And you are?" "Name's Pintel." He eyes me up and down. "Thought you'd be older."</p><p>I hoot and reply, "Does that disappoint?" The pair's smiles disappear into focused expressions as their captain and first mate swing over the railing effortlessly. "Gentlemen." Jack secures his footing and gestures open-handedly to the crowd. "I assume you've become somewhat acquainted with Miss Lemaire, here." He begins sauntering toward the helm, the crowd parts before him instinctively. "You will show her the same respect as you show your captain, eh?" "Aye, Sir." Voices echo this assertion, steadying my pounding heart. "She'll be with us a while, so show her a pirate's welcome." The crew murmurs and nod their heads, unsure of what to do next.</p><p>"Gents," Barbossa declaratively shouts, "Back to work." The gathering snaps to attention as men stumble over one another itching to resume their duties. I raise an eyebrow at this authoritative discrepancy, and look to Jack who is talking with Bo'sun at the helm. I make my way up the creaking steps and peer at the deck below. Some of the crewmates are whispering and glancing in my direction while completing their tasks. Most are hard at work manning the expansive ship.</p><p>"What do you think, Karina?" Jack pulls me from my observations, his smile and gleaming eye awaiting my judgement. "You've done well for yourself, Jack. I'm impressed." I genuinely take in my surroundings with amazement, I hadn't seen a ship as grand since my parents were alive. "Shall we, uh, chart a course? Is that it?" I nervously chuckle and Jack's smile deepens, flashing a gold tooth. "You've been through a lot the last few hours, Love." He cocks his head toward the decks below. "I'll show you to your lodging, so you can rest."</p><p>I gratefully smile, as the adrenaline was leaving my body, I could hardly stand due to exhaustion. He softly touches the small of my back and guides me down the steps. "Sweet dreams, me Siren." Barbossa calls lasciviously after me, taking over the helm. I nod to him, suspiciously. I sensed a power grab at hand. "Let's hope so."</p><p>Jack leads me down a narrow hallway and swings a saloon-style door open, revealing a small wooden bed positioned against the wall, a desk littered with lit candles and dusty books, and an empty wardrobe. I drift inside, entranced by the grand window vaulted outward nearly as big as the wall. The expansive sea ebbed and flowed just through the glass, glittering with expectation.</p><p>"I intend to pick up a shade of some sort to put in front of this door." Jack assures me, "for privacy of course." I nod appreciatively and drop my belongings on the bed. "It's perfect, Jack." He bows, hands clasped behind his back. "If you need anything at all, Darling," he urges sincerely, "don't hesitate to ask. My quarters are just across the hallway there." He turns to leave when I call. "Thank you Jack," nearly choking on emotion. "for freeing me from being stuck at Port Royal, even if it is only for Aztec gold."</p><p>Jack shifts his gaze from the floor to me. "At least for me, Karina. It wasn't only for the gold." He smiles and eases the swinging doors behind him. I turn back toward the sea glimmering as a black-diamond, settling into a seat at the desk, and, into a new life.</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Onboard the Pearl</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Adding the song I envisioned during the dance onboard- it's "Bora Bora" by Toti's Tahitians so you guys feel the beat that I was.</p>
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    <p>I awake to the sound of drums. To bright wisps of sunlight glittering above my head. The sun was nearly rising. I rolled onto my side in the creaky bed, watching in awe as the sun's rays and ocean waves meted into a pool of light. 'All this for me each morning' I thought, grateful. I'm once again distracted by an ote'a drum beat coming from the deck. I roll out of bed, planting my feet on the cool wood. I slip out of the loose nighdress I had put on the night before, the morning air chilling my bare body. I shuffle through my bag, pulling out a tan skirt that touched my mid-calf, and a turquoise wrap. I tie the wrap around my chest, securing the tie between my bust, leaving my shoulders bare.</p><p>After slipping the skirt over my hips, I swing open the saloon door and curiously step onto the deck. Only a few crewmen were working as the sunrise hadn't yet come. The ship wasn't actively moving. It was resting, shifting in anchor with the churn of the waves. I spot the source of the drumming. It is Bo'sun, stern-faced as ever, with another crewman relaxing against the railing of the ship, both palming small hand-crafted drums, effortlessly creating synchronized rhythm. I walk over towards them, mesmerized by their talent. Nina had taught me dance steps to this beat. During our lessons, she encouraged me to be grateful. Be grateful for the sea, the sky, the grass, the sunshine, my feet and legs for allowing me to dance, my mind for commanding them to. "It be so easy to think of what ya don't have, Kari," she'd remind me swaying her hips to a rhythm only she could hear, "Stop and honor what ya thankful for in yer steps."</p><p>"You are very talented." I smile and nod at the men in encouragement. Their heads snap up in unison, Bo'sun stopping his taps and glaring, his partner, pounding harder with a bright smile. "Thank ya, Miss Lemaire." I shake my head, "Karina." The man nods, moving his whole body to the beat he created. "Karina. Ajay." He bumped his elbow against Bo'sun, prompting him to resume the music.</p><p>Bo'sun shakes his head, and, perhaps I had imagined it, the faintest smile came to the corners of his mouth. I had leaned against the railing, tapping my fingers against the wood that had already heated slightly from the faint sun. "You a dancer?" Ajay called to me. I smiled, perplexed. "How did you…?" "You be tapping ya feet like one." He grinned, and I couldn't help but laugh, joyfully reflecting on the happiness I felt while moving to music. "Have been for a while, Sir." "Eh," he taps Bo'sun, and they begin a new beat, a much faster one.</p><p>"Dance wid us, Karina!" He urged, and Bo'sun nodded me over, encouragingly. "We all need the practice so we don't be rusty." I shake my head, smiling excitedly for the first time since Nina taught me her talents. Since she helped me feel that I belonged, that I had something to give after my world was taken.</p><p>I side step from railing, lifting my hips while making a beckoning motion with my hands. "Eh, she still got it!" Ajay called, grinning, quickening his beat. With arms rising overhead, I sharply drop my hips in a quicker rhythm, closing my eyes, feeling the rising sun warm me from head to toe. I begin the omi slow and controlled, traveling over to Ajay, bobbing my head up and down watching his hands fly across the skin of the drum. This encouraged them both to beat faster, quickening my omis. I hoot as I knew they were testing how fast I could go. Some of the other crewmen had stopped working and were watching our little performance. I danced my way over to Regetti who was attempting to omi in a quick and jerked fashion, smiling ear to ear.</p><p>"Eh, you had a dancer onboard the whole time, Ajay. You didn't need me!" Ajay hooted as they quickened the beat so much that their hands buzzed past each other, hardly making contact with the drums. I flashed a nervous smile, extending my arms to steady myself as I circled faster; my whole body buzzed through my center, the omi connecting me to sea and sky. Bo'sun and Ajay stopped, hands in the air, and I stuck my landing with a surprised smile. Our little gathering whooped and clapped. I laughed, comically bowing and gesturing to the musicians, clapping myself.</p><p>"Wow, that was incredible!" Jack sauntered over, circling my shoulder with his arm, pulling me towards the helm. "You two got fast hands!" I wave at Ajay and Bo'sun who nodded. "Eh, tomorrow?" Ajay called. "Tomorrow we practice!" I return the call and walk with Jack.</p><p>"You know how hard I've been trying to get the crew to get along?" Jack continued, leading me up the steps. "Bloody pirates, so unruly." I chuckle as Jack confidently stands behind the helm, eyeing the seas through a telescope. His half of the map to Isla de Muerta was lain carefully on a table next to the railing. I run my fingers over the torn edges. "Next stop, Isla de Muerta then?" I turn to see Jack looking to me. "Not quite." He snaps the telescope back in place. "We require more supplies. Sustenance for the journey and such." Jack flashed his mischievous smile. "First, we make port in Tortuga." I cock my head to the side and walk over to the helm beside Jack, gazing out over the deck to the men hard at work, and beyond them, the crystal blue water.</p><p>"Tortuga?" I ask, "I thought you were eager to steal the gold right from Pizarro's hands." Jack wrapped an arm around my shoulder, pointing me straight ahead, as if compelling me to visualize our journey. "Not without proper groundwork, Love." I nod, understanding. 'Tortuga…' I thought. 'Nina mentioned it's a safe haven for pirates, I suppose it'll make for a remarkable first undertaking'. "That's the pirate rock right?" I look up at Jack. "Oh, Karina. It's a place where pirates feel at home. I can't wait to show ye around. Jean and Marly first brought me there when I was a lad." He was smiling so much his gold tooth twinkled in the sun. I dreamily smile and gaze out over the deck, remembering my father directing orders with a firm but tempered voice, my mother scribbling over maps, me chasing after Jack, his older and stronger legs keeping him far away from my outstretched hand.</p><p>"I'll fetch the map." I smiled hopefully at Jack. "Aye, make haste woman." He gently pats my back with humor in his voice. I shake my head in laughter as I float down the steps, heading to my quarters. I swing open the saloon doors and begin searching for the torn map in my costume bag. My fingers brush across sandpapery texture, and I know I've found it. I pull the map from the depths and slowly move toward the window, trying to decipher its contents. I hold the map over my head in the sunlight, the rays illuminating the dark blue sketches of the isle and symbols.</p><p>The door creaks open, and I swirl around gracefully. Barbossa's silhouette becomes illuminated by the light from the window. "Twas a stirrin' performance, Miss Lemaire." Barbossa sauntered over to me, grinning salaciously. I smile brusquely. "Morning, Barbossa. You're in bright spirits." "Aye, the smell a the sea, mixed with the enchantin' comp'ny." He eyes my body and holds his gaze on my eyes, trapping them.</p><p>I wanted to ask him if he understood that my flirtatious behavior from the night before was a falsehood, an act meant to gather information on him. I thought the better of it and swallowed my statement like bile. "The crew really seems to respect you." I say instead, inspecting the map, feigning small talk. "Aye, a pirate knows a true captain when they see one." I raise an eyebrow and look at him from the corner of my eye. "A natural leader you are." I let this somewhat mutinous sentiment pass between us. I return to studying the map. "I heard we're headed to Tortuga. Do you know how long of a trip it will be?" "Aye, it'll be but four or five days. The supply is runnin' low." He angles his body in front of me, blocking the sun. The map is the only thing separating us. "It'll give the lads a chance to get a hot meal in their bellies and sleep in a warm bed before the long journey ahead." I clear my throat, put off by our closeness. "Rest is always important." I look up from the thin layer of distance separating us and, with suspicious curiosity, into his eyes. "And what follows, after we find the gold? As far as I'm concerned." Barbossa chuckles and side steps behind me, his hand gripping my waist and his hot breath slithering down my neck like a snake. "Well, me Siren. I anticipate that bein entirely up to the captain. I have a feelin' that he will desperately long for yer comp'ny." And without another word, he leaves, the door barely swinging behind him. I realize that I've been holding my breath. I begin to feel a pit in my stomach that I may not be as free as I had imagined.</p>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Kiss of Reminiscence</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>I shudder, trying to shake all remnants of Barbossa's touch off me. The sun is now high in the sky and the water is a vibrant jewel-toned blue. Years as a blackmailer has made me especially sensitive to sensing hidden truth. What had he meant by my freedom being up to the captain? Jack had never questioned my ability to leave the Pearl freely, and he certainly wasn't expecting me to crew his ship. In some way, I sense that Barbossa is angling for Jack's power, and I know that I must warn him when the time is right.</p><p>I snap the map shut and hurry out of the room. When I reach the deck I am hit with a heat so fierce I wonder how the men are doing such hard labor with ease. Sweat begins to form on my forehead and upper lip. I wipe my head and fan myself, climbing the stairs to the helm. "There she is." Jack nods at me. He is bent over the table examining his map. "I thought you'd gotten lost for a moment." I edge closer, unrolling my map. He sidesteps, allowing me to slide the map next to its counterpart, the crooked edges joining as pieces of a puzzle. "How bout that." Jack sighs, satisfied. We look to each other, hope and excitement in our eyes. My breath catches, I can't shake the feeling of the conversation I had with Barbossa. I glance over at the first mate, who is eyeing us curiously at the helm. "Now that we've gotten that handled." I roll the combined pieces of the map together and hand them to Jack. "Show me what you do. Do your duties, today I'm your shadow, Captain Sparrow." I give him a playful look. He grins and takes the map, his fingers brushing mine, sending a tingling sensation up my arm. "My shadow, eh? Well first I navigate a course, and I've already done that. Now I make sure these lads are doing their part keeping us afloat." "Well then, I'm your apprentice today. Show me."</p><p>Jack guides me down the steps and onto the deck. I watch as men with sweat dripping off their faces pull and hoist and move innumerable things that I know nothing about. Jack glances about, analyzing these things that I know nothing of, occasionally helping his crew with tasks they seem to struggle with. The whole time he is explaining a ship's parts to me. I retain words like starboard, rudder, mast, and keel, but I couldn't point them out to you if I had to walk the plank. I laugh. 'Ha! There's one I know.' I think to myself. "What's got ya giggling, Love?" Jack asks. "Oh," I can't help myself from hooting again. "Jack, I'm the child of pirates, and I can't tell you a thing you just explained to me. And the poop deck makes me laugh. I mean why on earth would you call it that?" I double over and Jack puts a hand to my back and steadies me. "You're right about that. Your dad had to explain the poop deck to me after I misconstrued its meaning, savvy?" I lean against the railing, trying to contain my amusement. "As for as your lineage, Karina." Jack pushes strand of hair behind my ear that the wind had shaken loose. "You've got a pirate's spirit; I can see that clearly. You may not know the bow from the stern, but you've created your own path. You're cunning and quick on your feet. And when opportunity arose itself, you took it. No matter the risks."</p><p>I look to the seas below and blush. I feel that pit in my stomach again and my face hardens. Jack sees it. "What's the trouble, Darlin'? I look to him, squinting in the sunlight. "What happens when we've gotten the gold? I mean, will you drop me off somewhere? What happens then?" I ask, concern in my voice. "Karina, I'll get you to the gold of Cortez. After that day, you tell me where you wish to be, and I'll take you there. You're free, you have my word." I return my gaze to the waters below and nod, debating whether I should tell Jack of my worries about his first mate. Before I could open my mouth to speak, my stomach lets out a growl. Jack chuckles. "Oh, how could I have forgotten. Such the host I am I've neglected to feed you." Jack links his arm through mine and leads me across the deck down into the hallway. Only instead of making a left at my cabin, he leads me to the right inside his quarters. I gasp as this is the most extravagant room in the ship that I had seen. Candles lit everywhere. Silk white curtains cover windowsills, a grand table in the center that had a fully prepared meal ready to serve. A modest bed similar to mine was hidden in the corner of the room, quite out of place in this mini palace.</p><p>"Help yourself, Love." Jack holds out a chair for me and I eagerly sit, taking in the meal before me. And so, we eat and talk, reminiscing about our childhood days, about the memories of my parents. He is able to conjure them more easily than I could, as I learn that he is ten years my senior. He was my father's apprentice of sorts, learning how to navigate a ship, trading tactics and the like. My father had set him up with a small vessel of his own to begin his life of trading and piracy. He informs me that once he had learned of their murder, he came in search of me, as I had been left alive. He followed reports that I had been dropped at Port Royal, quite literally on the governor's doorstep. A dirty, tattered pirate girl with gold for hair and the sea after a storm for eyes, they had said of me. Appalled that the daughter of Jean-Baptiste Lemaire was serving a British governor, Jack sailed his modest vessel to Port Royal and waited, as he said, for the opportune moment. Until one day, he saw me, on the beach with an older woman, dancing with the waves, singing and laughing. Living, as he said, like I had been able to find love and belonging. He decided to let me try to build a new home under the protection of the dancing woman undisturbed by the dangers of pirate life.</p><p>We talk until the sun is hanging low in the sky, a lazy orange blur beckoning one to rest. I tell him about my life after my parents' death, he told me how he became captain of the Black Pearl. I let out a yawn and stretch my back. "One day closer to Tortuga then." Jack had been lounging in an armchair, finishing a bottle of rum we had shared throughout the day. "Ah, Karina. You'll love it, eh? I'll introduce ye to all the fine pirate folk this side of the East Indies." I chuckle, easing my way to stand. I stroll over to his armchair, his warm brown eyes following me with intensity. I hold my hands out which he takes, and I help him stand. The musky scent of him and the sweet rum hanging off his breath mix to ignite a fire in my stomach. The deep orange sunset highlights the gold in his skin, the warmth of his brown hair and beard. I let go of his hands and steady myself. Jack caresses my face, his hardened fingers holding the curve of my cheek with the gentlest touch. "I never stopped keeping you in my sight. Every so often, when I made port on Port Royal, I watched for you. I saw you grow into the most beautiful woman I have ever seen." My heart swells with his words. I lower my gaze and trace his torso with my fingertip, brushing the edges of his collarbone, his cheeks, and lips. Though this man is all but a stranger to me, this pull to him is stronger than my will to be cautious. He shudders beneath my touch, and holds the small of my back with his free hand, he pulls me toward him. "I remembered you. In the earliest years of my capture. I'd lay in bed in the governor's house and your words, your stories about adventures we'd have, soothed me to sleep. Memories of you and this life." I glance around us. "They got me through each day." Jack angles the tip of my chin upward and kisses me. Not a full-blooded passionate kiss, but a soft one. This kiss is one of remembrance and of experimenting with new hopeful longing. His scent drives me near mad, and I hold the back of his neck with both hands. We both feel a yearning for more, but the time is not yet right. I pull away and place a small peck on his cheek, causing his breath to catch. "It's good to be back, Jackie." "Welcome home Karina."</p>
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<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Pressure Builds</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>**Not Finished</p>
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    <p>This went on for the days leading up to Tortuga. I'd wake just as the sun was beginning to rise, join Bo'sun and Ajay in their music-making. They had recruited a friend of Ajay's, a lanky bald fellow named Jaheim, who could play anything with strings. He sang beautifully too. We'd announce each day with song and dance, some familiar, some we created. I would then join Jack, navigating our ever-shortening voyage to Tortuga. I'd follow him about the ship, and had begun to learn each part's corresponding name. I even helped Ajay climb the mast and adjust the mainsail once. After supervising the crew, Jack asked me to dine with him, which I did. We spent the remainder of our days generally getting to know one another, basking in each other's intimate familiarity and exciting novelty.</p><p>He never pushed me for more physical affection than kisses and embraces. We both knew, or at least I did, that the overwhelming rush of emotions bursting from our reunion could cause us to act hastily. And so, he'd return me to my small cabin at nightfall, planting an ever-growing passionate kiss on my awaiting open mouth. This past night, he had pressed me against the wall next to my door, the warm planks holding me steady as he planted love bites down my chin and neck. I had gripped the back of his head caressing his long strands of dark hair. He chuckled low, breathing that musky scent into my neck, sending me into a spell. "Until tomorrow, Dear One." He whispered in a panting voice. I had floated dreamily through the doors and fell into the small bed, letting its residual creaks lull me to sleep.</p><p>Today was different. I woke to the glinting sun's rays that never ceased to make me lounge in bed a while longer, mesmerized. This evening the crew of the Black Pearl expected to dock in Tortuga. After dressing in a knee-length flowy black skirt and tan off-shoulder blouse, I made my way onto the deck where Ajay was softly drumming. Jaheim was tuning a ukulele, his long fingers skillfully whisking over the instrument with acquaintance. Jack was speaking with Bo'sun, casually leaning his back against the rails with his shirt unbuttoned so his tanned complexion glistened in the sun. "Eh, Kari," Ajay called in greeting. "Good morning Ajay, Jaheim, Bo'sun." They all nodded their heads. "Jack," I drug out his name with playful emphasis. "You're up bright and early." He yawned and stretched his arms overhead. "Aye, Love. I was just talking to Bo'sun here, making sure the lads are prepared to land."</p><p>I lean against the railing next to Jack, squinting against the sun that had already begun to make me sweat. The crew was hard at work, readily making the ship equipped to land. Though the Black Pearl was far from a small vessel, I could imagine being stuck on it for too long would leave one feeling isolated and restless. People aren't meant to be held in one place for too long. "I thought before we land, you and I could practice some defense skills." I look to Jack, his warm eyes twinkling. "My father taught me to defend myself," I look back to the sea. "Though I will admit I must be a bit rusty." Working at Mary's had made me skilled at fending off unruly patrons in close proximity. But flamboyant swordsmanship that closely resembled art, I could stand to learn more of.<br/>Jack whipped a sword out from his belt. It was smaller than his, thinner than any of the men's swords on Port Royal that I had handled. "I had this fashioned for you by a Spaniard. Kind of a small fellow, but the blade cuts just like the rest." I took it from him. It was light and nimble. I tested it out by making striking motions my father had taught me long ago. "Thank you, Jack. You didn't have to go to the trouble." "Never mind that." He said, his eyes beaming at my appreciation. "Come now, on guard."</p><p>With the grace of a cat, Jack side stepped behind me and held his sword out in challenge. He jabbed, and I blocked with clumsy remembrance. We sparred for a while, Jack correcting my blocks and encouraging offensive strikes. Dancing had kept me light on my feet, for which I'm grateful. Ajay was drumming a beat used in battle, which made me chuckle and lose my guard. Jack quickly disarmed me. My sword twirled up in the air and was caught by Jack, who tossed it back to me. "Never take your eye off the enemy, Love." He said half-joking and began striking again, with more force this time. We practiced for I don't know how long, until sweat was dripping off my forehead, and my shoulders held heat from the sun's rays.</p><p>As I was going in for a midline jab, I felt two arms circle around me, pinning my arms to my sides rendering me unable to move. "What's the meaning of this Hector?" Jack asked surprised. I struggled to free myself, but it was in vain. "I'm teachin' ya the most important lesson of the day, Lass." Barbossa hissed so that only I could hear. "Always mind yer backside." "Enough." I squeezed through constricted lungs. Barbossa released me as some crew members snickered with some known sentiment. "Eh, that was no fair fight." Ajay called. "An' who said fighting were fair, ye mangy bilge rat?" Barbossa lashed.</p><p>The deck grew quiet, the tension that I had sensed on my first evening of arrival filled the air around us. Finally, Jack asserted his leadership. "I believe you've got the hang of it, Darling." He said to me, gently squeezing my shoulder. "Back to work, Lads. We make port at sundown." He whisked by me and whispered something in Barbossa's ear. The two of them disappeared down into the cabins.</p><p>I joined Jaheim and Ajay who were hoisting some rope. I grabbed the end of it and began helping them in the one task I was getting skilled at. "What was that about?" I asked Ajay. "Oh, Kari." He shook his head. "For a while now, the captain and his first mate been arguing. As the ship get more and more wealth, the tension rise." We grunted as something dropped to the ground that I had forgotten the name of. "What do their disagreements have to do with me? Why does Barbossa find every opportunity to pester me." Ajay motioned for me to walk toward the railing, away from open ears. "If ya ask me, I say be careful of that one. He's got a lust for power behind those eyes. An' you." He pointed to me and eyed me with concern. "You got the captain smitten we all know. That's one more thing Captain Jack got that the first mate don't." We both glanced toward the cabins.</p><p>"What do we do about it Ajay?" I felt a knot grow in my stomach and heard the unfamiliar pleading tone escape my throat. Ajay clicked his tongue and shook his head. Wiping the sweat from his brow, he said. "I been crewing the Pearl with Captain Jack for years. I respect him, but if he don't make his claim to the Pearl with more fervor," He made a fist in emphasis. "He might lose his ship. An' you, Kari." He touched my shoulder firmly. "You are a free spirit like the ocean." He glanced around us. "A woman like you, be a thing that those who yearn for power wish to keep inside a box." My widening eyes caused Ajay to lower his hands in an effort to calm me. "Now, you don't hear these things from me. We can keep an eye out for you." He motioned to Jaheim who had been listening. "But you watch yourself." He warned. "I see the warmth you have for the captain; I say encourage him to show his leadership. Make him see that all this he built could be lost." I nodded and smiled at this unlikely friend.</p><p>I made my way down the dark corridor toward the cabins, the fire in my stomach growing as I tried to stay silent. My suspicions were confirmed. 'Just my luck, getting aboard a ship during a power grab.' I thought. I hear footsteps and muttering voices in front of me and quickly dart inside my room, holding the swinging doors steady. I held my breath as Jack's voice becomes clear. "You will take orders and leave her be." He sounded angry. "She's the child of fallen pirates. Not some common strumpet for you to toy with." "An' what exactly are you doin'?" Barbossa retorted. "Ye think the crew don't have eyes?" My heartbeat quickens. I hadn't thought of how the crew would react to mine and Jack's affection. Or whatever it was. Why would it affect them? Their voices drift away as the footsteps head out onto the deck. I pace the room, planks creaking underfoot. What had I gotten myself involved with? As happy as I was to be reunited with a key figure of my past, a lifestyle I grew up with, something inside me sensed danger. "Land, Ho!" I hear Bo'sun shout from the deck, followed by a chorus of hardy cheers.</p>
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<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Tortuga</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Explicit content</p><p>Some tunes for the vibe:<br/>Surrender- Natalie Taylor<br/>Besame Mucho- Jorge Blanco</p>
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    <p>The pirates' cry pierced through my clouded mind, pulling me onto the deck. Ahead lay a massive black rock with clouds encircling it, seeming that a perpetual thunderstorm always lingered but never delivered. Though it was midday, the isle itself was shrouded in dark, mirroring a pirate's wish to be concealed from the noose. The crew was busily preparing to make an early port as I continued to study Tortuga from the stern. This island had no markers of British royal influence as Port Royal did; no military vessels lined the dock. Ships even larger than the British bobbed in the dark waters, their black pirate flags proudly displayed for all to see. I felt nervous excitement fill my stomach; suddenly missing the warmth and familiarity of Port Royal. I had never considered myself sheltered what with my past, but this stark contrast to the reality I had been living for fifteen years was apparent. I glanced behind me at Jack who held the wheel in his hands across the ship. He flashed me a gold-toothed smile and a knowing nod which eased the butterflies I felt tingling in my stomach that caused my fingers to tremble.</p><p>We slowly made our way into the center of the isle which was eagerly open awaiting pirate vessels. Details became more visible as we edged closer, pubs and taverns lined the streets, tattered men and scantily dressed women stumbled about drunkenly, some haggling over treasures and knick knacks. One man lay asleep in the middle of a crowded street, body spread wide like a starfish with a bottle in his right hand. I couldn't help but laugh in my surprise.</p><p>"Karina," Jack appeared beside me holding the small of my back. "How'd ya like to help me go round and gather supplies. I'll show ya the best spots on the island. Favorites of your parents and mine own sweet spots." Jack was grinning wildly with the prospect, so I nodded keenly anticipating a sight that connected me to my pirate lineage. "That'd be lovely Jack." I smiled at him and touched the pendant of my mother's for comfort. The heat that came from it seemed to encourage me forward, into a new facet of the pirate world.</p><p>Once we docked, Jack instructed some crewmates to gather one various supply need or another, food and drink for the journey ahead being the most important. The sun was high in the sky, heating the sand below my feet which added to the sweat that accumulated on my brow. I wiped my forehead and squinted at shop after shop lining dirty streets. "Shall we?" Jack held out the crook of his arm, which I took and we started down one of the streets, parting thick crowds of booze-smelling pirates trading goods. I held a stern gaze with the male-dominated crowd, intimidating any potential harassers from starting something with me. Besides the occasional "Oi, Lass," the crowd allowed us to pass with passive curiosity. Jack and I ambled from shop to shop, him telling me who owned this or that, what goods they sold, any personal connections they had to my parents or himself. I listened attentively, eyeing and touching everything in sight from fruit to jewelry to hand-crafted weapons. I passed my hand through a string of cloud-like silk scarves, their vibrant colors emitting scents of exotic lands, spices and herbs.</p><p>"Would the beauty like a headscarf?" A tall trader with an accent I couldn't place asked with a gleam in his eye. "I suggest the burgundy wine hue. A beauty that is stark and unforgettable as is she." I blush and open my mouth to politely decline the man when Jack flips him a small bag of gold coins. The man smiles greedily. "A wise choice, good sir." he mumbled. "Jack," I stare wide-eyed. "You didn't need to-" "Let me tie it for you." Jack carefully snatches the scarf from the rack and wraps it behind my head, letting my hair loose from the tie I had wrapped around it. Locks cascaded down my back, kept in place by the new treasure behind my ears. "Well?" I asked playfully with eyebrow raised. "Goddess." Jack proudly smiled. The merchant handed me a glittery gold mirror which revealed the beautiful garment, the color of rich wine that brought out the blues in my eyes and yellow-gold hues in my hair.</p><p>Jack saw my clear delight and clapped his hands together. "Right then," he declared, "on to the next one." We meandered down street after street, occasionally passing by members of the Pearl completing their duties, drinking, or chasing women with bulging necklines. "I like it here." I say to Jack after he had finished telling me a tale of how he fooled a ship full of Spaniards into believing him as the direct descendant of Francisco Pizarro. We were walking along the beach, waves lapping at the rocks we carefully trod, crashing stark white against the dark, craggy edges. The sunset was far away, sinking below the depths of the sea, enveloping the sky in starlight.</p><p>"I knew you would." Jack sat on a large rock facing the sea and held his hand out for me to join him. I took it and eased down onto the black stone, warmth from the sun heating my legs. We sat like that for a while, watching the day turn into night, awaiting something. "You once told me, Karina, after your dad let me aboard that I, I mean, the way I moved in the world was like a bird does. With no ties to the ground or worries. I heard you tell yer mum, what's that boy doing, he looks just like a bird." Jack shook his head laughing. "I cannot for the life of me remember saying a thing like that." I say with surprise. "You were very young, Love." Jack smiled. "Well, I took that to mean something, a mark, if ye will, that my dear old dad didn't give me before he vanished." Jack's face grew somber. "That's how I came up with Sparrow. That and it has a nice ring to it, wouldn't ye say?" He laughed and I stare at him, stunned. Had he really chosen his pirate name based on something a childhood playmate said? We both look at one another for what felt like hours.</p><p>I felt a heat stirring between my legs, in the deepest parts of me that I had not felt for a very long time. I felt the need to know Jack Sparrow in a new way, to stop only remembering our past lives, to begin anew. I reach up and touch his cheek, where the moonlight was illuminating his sleek jawline. My fingers explore the smooth texture of his skin and dip into the rough patches of facial hair that grew. I allow them to travel down his neck and onto the strings of his tunic shirt, that I begin to untie. He shudders beneath my touch. "May I?" I breathe softly. "Of course, Love." His voice sounds raspy and his breaths were slightly sharpened. I untie the loose knots and gently push the tunic aside to reveal sculpted, tanned skin beneath. I bend down and begin kissing the skin there, making my way up from his stomach slowly, learning the man called Captain Sparrow. His chest rose and fell sharply beneath my lips, and as I reached the nape of his neck, I kissed it gently and sighed my desire against his ear. "I can't take this, Karina." Jack pleaded. When I laughed and gently bit the tender skin, he grabbed the side of my waist and the back of my head, flipping me over until my body was pressed against the ebony heat of the rock.</p><p>The motion had slightly winded me, and I was pinned against the rock by Jack's tensed body, shielded from the drops of seawater that had been splashing me before. Jack forcefully buried his face into my neck, biting and sucking the skin, sending waves of heat to my center and breathy moans from my mouth. This only encouraged his lust, his body arched illuminating bluish-white on his bare back from the moon. I grip his face with even force and pull him in to kiss my mouth, which he did with hunger. Jack slipped his tongue inside my open mouth and bit my lips until they swelled into a deep rose color, I closed my eyes and felt lifted from my body. I let out a moan which was smothered by Jack's open mouth, his scent driving me to a stupor.</p><p>"Oi, Lads!" I hear from above. My eyes snap open and I see Pintel and Regetti arching over a shallow cliff above the rocks where we lay. "It's the Cap'n and Karina gettin' real comfortable down 'ere." Several more crewmates peered below, either wide-eyed or snickering. "Oi, mind your duties, Scallywags!" Jack shouted which caused me to jump. Once they stopped gawking, Jack leaned in to kiss me, and I pulled back eyeing him curiously. "You're joking?" I asked playfully. "I can't get the image on Pintel out of my head, it isn't the time." Jack sighs in defeat. "Damn ingrates."</p><p>"We'd better get back," I say as Jack fastens his shirt. He helps me steady myself to stand and we amble back up toward the newly lit town in the darkness. Once we reach the street, I spot several crewmates inside a pub drinking and laughing loudly. "Let's go in," I pull Jack's arm, "I'm famished." "You outta be, eh?" Jack chuckles and I yank him inside. We squeeze by the crowded entryway. Tortuga is much louder at night I take it. Less inhibited, men hoot and whistle at my appearance, one dropping to his knees and holding the contents of his pockets out for me to take. Jack grips my waist and pushes me toward the crew that was eating heartily. Some look up and gawk with open mouths. I won't be having any gossip, so I cheerfully smile and sit next to Bo'sun who is eating silently, stern-faced as ever. "What's good here, eh?" I look each crewmate in the eye, making it clear that whatever decisions I make are not to be shamed, nor will I cower in intimidation. "Try the chicken legs, Karina. You'll be singin' like you're in heaven." Regetti smiles, having forgotten any embarrassment. "And the apples, me siren, are the best ye'll get, save for mine." Barbossa hold out an apple for me, his nails coiling around it, slightly digging into the flesh.</p><p>"Thank you." I say evenly, plucking the apple by the stem and setting it in front of me. The crew eats a hot meal and make loud conversation. I eye Pintel as he whispers something in Barbossa's ear, causing a scowl to come to his face. The two of them leave the pub unbeknownst to Jack. I peer around the tavern as men's laughter was growing louder and the sounds of plates crashing and furniture banging became more frequent. Musicians on the far side were playing a merry tune, and pirates began dancing and shouting lively in time with the music. I felt Jack's hand grab mine and lift me out of my chair with a thud. He began pulling me toward the raucous with a bottle of rum in hand. "Jack, where are we going?" I say with excitement and surprise. "You don't land on Tortuga without dancing, Darling!" He declares loudly, slightly drunk. He lowers his voice and raises an eyebrow. "It'd be my honor to share a dance with you, Karina Lemaire." He leans down and kisses my hand. I blush, "As long as you show me how, I've never heard this music before!" I laugh as we began hopping and stepping to this unfamiliar beat. We step on each other's feet and those of others, which was met with goofy grins and laughter. Though dancing has given me joy since my young life, I had never experienced such happiness as I did now. It didn't matter how I looked jumping and twirling with Jack Sparrow, we did it only for the joy of being in each other's company and with this rag-tag community of pirates.</p><p>After a couple of hours, Jack and I clumsily staggered outside the tavern toward a nearby lodge. "Before heading out to sea for too long, one must sleep once more on dry land." Jack declared holding an unsteady finger in front of me for emphasis. "Wise thinking." I smile. "Oi, can I help ye?" a man appeared at the open door, guests meandering behind him. "Aye, two rooms if ya have em ready." Jack pulled another small bag of coins out of his shirt pocket and offered it to the man. "Right this way, Laddie." The man cheerfully motioned for us to follow him. I knelt down into the open doorway and walked ahead of Jack down the narrow corridor. We passed pirates still drinking in the halls and women draped themselves over the drunkards. I nodded knowingly at the women, they had probably already filled their pockets for the evening.</p><p>"Here ye are…" The man's voice trailed off as he showed us two wooden doors side by side. "Holler if ye need anything." He disappeared down the hallway, leaving Jack and I to our rooms. "Well, I suppose this is goodnight then." Jack somberly said, angling to look at me. "I had the most splendid time Jack. Thank you." I felt overwhelmed with emotion at the day's events as I wrapped him in a hug. I couldn't remember the last time I felt utterly and completely free. Jack returned my embrace and traced the deep rouge scarf that adorned my hair. We broke free with eyes locked. He bent down and kissed me softly before creaking open the door in front of me. I peered inside at a modest bed with tall wooden posts and woolen covers, a small night table at its side. "Goodnight Jack." I hoped he would follow as I entered the room, and as I turned to face him, he breathed "Sweet dreams Love." And eased the door behind him.</p><p>I stared at the closed door, trying to ignore the heat inside my belly, the disappointment I felt at not ushering him inside. 'What must he think of me?' my thoughts raced as I began to pace the floor. Here was a man grown up from my past, that I was allowing myself to fall for so quickly. How could I of all people let this happen? I kept myself guarded every night of my life at Mary's, seducing men with deceit and leaving them out to dry after obtaining their riddles. Why had he not come inside? Does he no longer desire me? 'No,' I stopped pacing. 'This pirate is a gentleman; he didn't want to push me into something I didn't want.' I look back to the door, illuminated by the moon peaking inside the small window. 'Enough of this.' I scowl and fling open the door. I amble into the hallway and turn to Jack's room. I softly tap on the wood and felt my heart pound in my ears. The door opens and Jack appears, surprised. "Karina- is everything alright-" I push past him into the room identically furnished like mine. "Everything's wonderful Jack." I say facing him. He shuts the door and slowly edged to where I stood. "This whole experience has been just that, wonderful. And I haven't had much of that since the damned Brits made me a serving girl and old drunks lined my pockets. But since you came back into my life," I trace Jack's smiling face. "I've missed you Jackie, it's you. You're wonderful."</p><p>Jack wraps me in an embrace and sighs my name into my neck. Suddenly, we both felt the eminent presence of the bed next to us. We look from each other to the bed and back again with cautious anticipation. "May I look at you?" I ask at last, gulping down a nervous breath. "Darling you may do anything to me as you see fit." Jack breathes wide-eyed. I step back and eye him up and down. "You've grown into a fine man…" I take off his vest that contained his weapons and carefully set it on the floor. "The finest man I've seen, and a pirate at that." I circle him, unlacing the white balloon shirt and letting it drop to the floor, revealing his tanned body. His newly exposed skin prickled against the chilled air, but he didn't move or interrupt me. I returned standing in front of him and eyed his belt. With trembling hands, I began untying the belt until it broke free, his sword hilt clanging to the floor. With one pull of his pant strings, they followed suit, and only a loincloth separated Jack from the air. I reach toward it when Jack grasps my hand in his. "Ye think you'll tease me like that when I haven't got a good look at you?"</p><p>I breathe in sharply, relaxing my body, preparing for the vulnerability that I had never allowed come over me. Jack began circling me, his fingers trailing my waist as he stepped. He stopped behind me and brushed the hair from my neck. His hands slipped in front of my chest, untying the knot there. When it came undone, he carefully slipped the garment off my shoulders exposing my naked chest. He quickly circled around in front of me and eyed my body lustfully. He knelt down on his knees and held my bare waist firmly, and began kissing my stomach. Slowly he pulled my skirt below my hips. It fell to the ground and with one swoop he lifted me over his shoulder and placed me on the bed behind us. Soft wool supported me as Jack lay on top of me, kissing my mouth and neck with fervor. His hands were shaking as they grabbed each breast and molded them direly. I gasped as he snaked his tongue around a nipple and sucked. I bit my lip in pleasure and squirmed beneath him. He quickly stopped, "Did I hurt ye, Karina my darling?" He asked, concern and pleasure in his voice. "No…" I breathe, "the opposite actually." I blush. Jack chuckles and resumes exploring my body with his lips. I allow him to see me fully, not just out of reach as I had done with every man at Mary's. He suddenly hovers over my face and kisses my mouth tenderly. "Karina, my dear," he pants, "will ye make love to this old pirate?" He asked breathily. "I smile and close my eyes. "No," Jack cocks his head in confusion. "But I will make love to the captain here before me." His face relaxes and he rubs a hardened warmth on my thigh, making me gasp. He enters me and we both exhale with a moan, a new desire sprung to life.</p>
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<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Where You Go, I Go.</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Alright all, we've finally gotten to ~that~ part where we're headed to Isle de Muerta. We all know in the movie that somewhere along the way, Jack is stranded by his mutinous crew on the tiny island and left for dead. </p><p>I want to hear your thoughts about Karina's life under the new Captain Barbossa. Does she hold out for Jack and spurn any other advances with lots of escape attempts? Or do we see a sort of stockholm syndrome relationship dynamic? Let me know your ideas in the comments!</p><p>All finished with this chapter- back to the Pearl very soon!</p><p>Tunessss:<br/>Amantes- Lin Cortes (this song is so sweet and wholesome but sexy at the same time like yes)</p>
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    <p>I wake to the sound of waves crashing and sunlight peeking through the small window. My cheek is cold against the fresh morning air, but the rest of me is warm in the crook of Jack's body. I faced away from him, but I knew he was awake by the soft strokes of his hands in my hair. I didn't move a muscle, so as to savor the moment a bit longer. I should be pondering the effect of last night on our future relationship, on my plans after we made it to Isla de Muerta. But I didn't, instead I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, listening to the faint crash of waves rolling against rocks and feeling Jack's gentle fingers in my hair. "Good morning, Darling." Jack spoke softly in my ear, I shiver as the warmth of his breath dissipates, my skin craving its absence. I moan sleepily and roll over to face him. "Good morning Jack." I smile as soon as I see his sparkling eyes. I already knew that meant he was pondering something. "What are you thinking about?" Jack reaches across my body and pulls me toward him until I was resting on his chest. "I believe you already know what I'm thinking about, Karina." I throw my head back and laugh then bend down to plant a kiss on his lips.</p><p>"Anything else on your mind?" I take a more serious tone, hoping to uncover his feelings about the previous night. Jack pulls the red scarf between us, playing with the soft fabric, watching it glitter as sun's rays hit the delicate beads. He looks from the garment to me with wary eyes. "I want to be forthright about what last night meant for me, Karina." I nod, holding my breath awaiting what came next. "I've been with women in my life, if nothing more than for companionship, the days drag on endlessly at sea, savvy? Pirate life is a lonely one, until," he grasps my hand and pulls me closer to him. "Until you. I had no intention of you boarding my ship as my bedmate. But when I saw you in that tavern…" He trailed off in thought. "The sight of you felt like home. Not only because of our history. I remember you fondly as a playmate as I grew up, but look at you." He tilted my chin toward him and kissed me earnestly sending tingles down my spine. "You are every bit a Lemaire, your sense of adventure, cunning, passion." He looked down at the scarf in his hand. He returned his cautious eyes to me. "How does all this make you feel?"</p><p>My whole body pulsed. I felt my heart pounding in my chest, and I know Jack felt it too with our bodies pressed together. "That's precisely what I've been feeling," I begin tracing his jawline and duplicate braids in his beard. "I was content at Mary's. Catering to men didn't bother me so much, compared to other women on Port Royal, my life was a free one. Truthfully…" I blush and avert Jack's gaze. "Truthfully I have only been with one other man. When I was a teenager, I became depressed with my servitude to Governor Swann, cursing the air any Brit breathed once I could fully comprehend what had been done to my parents, to me." Jack listened attentively, never interrupting. "He was a cook in the governor's house, didn't speak a word of English. From what I understand, he was snatched from his father's merchant ship as payment for debts. But he heard my cries at night in the servant's quarters. We formed an attachment based in loneliness and need for companionship as you said."</p><p>"That night at Mary's, I didn't immediately know you. But I felt a stirring that was familiar and exciting. Neither of us intended what's happened, but as far as I'm concerned I'm very glad it did." I paused, patiently waiting for an answer. "I have a proposition for you, and you needn't answer now." Jack's grip on my hand tightened with emphasis on his coming words. "After we clear out every ounce of Aztec gold on Isla de Muerta, come with me. Stay with me on the Pearl permanently. See the world with me, you will be my right hand and partner, you've already proved welcome to the crew." Jack's eyes were wild with the prospect. "As I said before, you needn't answer this moment, but consider it if you'd be so kind." He released the grip on my hand and stroked it gently. Emotion welled in my throat, and I breathed deeply to calm the shakes that threatened to break free. I knew in my heart that no amount of time would change the answer that was about to spill from my mouth. "I will go anywhere you go. The answer is yes." Jack clutched my waist and pressed my back against the bed, spilling kisses down my neck and chest.</p><p>"You've made this lowly pirate the gladdest one to walk the earth." I stroke his hair as he raises to kiss me. "Oh Jack," I tightly close my eyes and let myself smile wide. "You've no idea what this means to me." Jack lays down beside me seeming content. "If ye don't mind my asking, Darling…" Jack props himself on an elbow to look at me. "How did you avoid, at the tavern, amorous men? Rather, interacting with them." He stumbled through the words, clearly embarrassed to ask them. "I lay on my side to face him head on. I had to stifle a laugh as Jack's face was earnest. "Jack, Mary's wasn't a brothel. It was a place of entertainment. A gentlemen's club yes, but dancers were never expected to sleep with patrons. Many did regularly if they chose to, but I'll tell you my secret." I hold Jack's hand in mine.</p><p>"Don't ever let this slip out or I could have several of my friends killed for this, you understand?" Jack nodded, "Of course, Love. All your secrets stay with me." "Alright," I resume my explanation. "We girls usually try to win our patrons over by conversation and heaps of hollow flirtation. However, it's not uncommon for a man to demand our presence in bed, so many of us have something on hand for such occasions." Jack's eyes widen with interest. "They'd been making the tonic for years before I became a dancer there. We whip batches of it in the back where we get dressed and we slip a bottle of wine with a cup of "fog tonic" in each guest room. It's what I was preparing to give your first mate that night. It knocks you right out and leaves you feeling spent the next day if you catch my meaning." Jack rolled on his back and hooted. "Eh! You nearly sent Hector to sleep, not to bed? Oh, that's fantastic!" He wiped his eyes as I explained. "It's true! I have no idea where some of those pigs of men dipped their toes into. What kind of nasty ailments they'd give me. So I chose the fog tonic with each patron as it was needed." Jack looked relieved that I had found a way to avoid laying down with some of the nastiest of brutes, even more so than with Barbossa. "It's quite simple to make actually, I'd just need some Indian ginseng, winter cherry, and a shot of opiate. Works wonders!"</p><p>"You, Karina, are the wonder." Jack kissed me and stood up from the bed with a creak. He circled around to where I lay and lifted me to stand. "Shall we chart a course to Cortez's fortune?" I lace my fingers behind his neck. "Where you go I go, remember?"</p>
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<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Mutiny</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>I know this was a long one, but I don't think it can be broken up. Thanks so much for reading, this one was difficult, ah, all the feels!</p><p>I'm thinking of trying something new- I listen to music when I write as it helps me feel the emotion more especially during a big transition like this. I'm gonna add the type of vibey songs that I listened to while writing the chapter. Or the feeling of the most intensive part of the chapter. I'll see how y'all respond to it and go back and add the vibe of music I was listening to for earlier chapters. </p><p>To start, for this one in particular, I was listening to "Last Rights" by Paul Dinletir. This is a bellydance choreography song (I dance in real life so that's how I came across this album). I listened to this as Jack was being pushed overboard and Karina is frantically trying to follow him. I feel the song slows down the scene as everything is coming to pass as well as bring out the dramatic separation between Jack and Karina. Let me know if you'd like to hear more of the music fueling the creative process! Thanks all xx</p>
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    <p>Jack and I amble into the quiet street. Foot traffic was low as it was still early morning. The occasional pirate lay in an alleyway or propped against a shop, sleeping off the drink from the night before. "I'm off to rouse the crew back onboard with the cargo, I'll meet you at the Pearl. Ask Ajay to make ready to be off for me Darling?" "Aye Cap'n." I tease with hand pointed in salute which was met with a kiss. "You recall where we docked yesterday?" "Down past the smithy." I pointed behind us and Jack nodded approvingly. "I won't be long." He squeezed my hand and sauntered off peering into shops for the familiar faces of the crew. I turn and begin walking in the opposite direction toward the ship.</p><p>I allow my mind to wander as I could hardly believe that I was to be Jack's partner. What that entailed I wasn't exactly sure, but it must involve some influence over the Black Pearl's command. I wasn't naïve, I still have much to learn about the managing of a ship, so I would defer to Jack and the crew's expertise for now. The idea of having something, a place that is my own filled me with excited anticipation, never mind the fact that I would share that tangible expression of belonging with the man I was beginning to fall in love with. 'Love.' I thought. The word didn't spark caution in me as much anymore, we would have time to learn more about each other, to form new memories as we had already begun doing. 'No,' I thought. 'Loving Jack is nothing to fear. What will come will come.'</p><p>A door to the sword smith swings open forcefully. I stop in my tracks as out steps Barbossa, with a new sword in hand. "Good morning, Barbossa." I nod my head in greeting. "Tis a fine one, me Siren." He saunters over to me, angling the blade to catch the sun's rays. "You just had that one commissioned?" I inquired about the dazzling weapon. "Aye," He flipped the sword so that the handle was outstretched to me. "Give her a go, Lass." I take the handle and admire the smith's handiwork. "It's very well made." I say in truth, not letting my suspicious regard for the first mate rise from my core and into my manners. "My compliments to its maker."</p><p>I hold the sword out for its owner to take. He does so, brushing my hand as he retrieves the weapon. 'God, the nails never cease to amaze.' I hope the thought didn't escape into my placid expression. "Come, I'll escort ye back to the Pearl, Darlin.'" Barbossa angles the crook of his arm for me to take. I wrack my brain for an excuse not to take it. Explaining that I had occasional bouts of leprosy came to mind. "Why, thank you, but it looks like you've got your hands full with the new addition." I cock my neck toward the sword. "I wouldn't wish to damage it somehow." "Nonsense, it'd be me greatest pleasure to have yer comp'ny for a while." His salacious grin didn't fool me, I knew beneath the surface lay a challenge and a deep resentment toward rejection. A feeling simmered in my gut that intuitively told me to submit. I acquiesce to his persistence and slip my arm through his outstretched one. "As you wish."</p><p>Satisfied, Barbossa begins strolling down the empty street toward the ship, me at his side. "I trust ye had favorable accommodations this past night." 'Oh, you've got no idea.' I thought and swallowed a chortle. "Extremely favorable. I find Tortuga to be one of the most charming places I've visited. I appreciate you all allowing me to experience it." He nodded, pleased. "An' ye found any trinkets that suit yer fancy?" He inquired inquisitively. "I did, in fact." I hesitated, not knowing where he intended to lead the conversation. "The captain bought me a lovely scarf from an Eastern merchant, a very fine welcome to Tortuga." At the mention of Jack, Barbossa's face hardened and he tightened his hold on my arm. "Those scraps hardly amount to anythin' of value…" We turned the corner and walked down the wobbly steps of the dock. "On the contrary, I'm grateful for the captain's gesture." I reiterate Jack's role on the Black Pearl intentionally. I wanted to pinpoint exactly what vexed the first mate. Jack himself or his title.</p><p>Barbossa stops in his tracks along the dock, my arm still clutched within his. We were only a few feet from the Pearl, I could see the crew bustling about onboard. How I longed to be with them at this moment. Barbossa suddenly whipped around until he was facing me, a hard grip on my upper arm. I felt like the apple he offered to me the night prior. I look from his hand on my arm to his face with surprise. "What-" He interrupts me, "A woman such as yerself deserves nothin' but the finest charms in the entirety of the Caribbean." He gestures emphatically with his free hand. I didn't know what to make of this. I stammer but no answer to the declaration came to my lips. "Which is why…" He fumbles in his pockets until he reveals a gold chain with a grandiose sapphire dangling in front of my eyes. Wide-eyed, I continue to falter over words. "Barbossa, I couldn't-" "It'd be me pleasure for ye to call me Hector-" "It's too much." I firmly stress shaking my head. "I cannot accept something so lavish, Barbossa."</p><p>Years of indulging prideful men developed an intuition within me. At this moment it begged me not to push back any further. But I didn't care. I'd had enough of dealing with this arrogant subordinate challenging Jack at every turn. "Given my relationship with the captain," I stress yet again who was the ship's commander, "It would be unsuitable for me to accept gifts from other men." Anger flared behind the first mate's eyes. He dropped the jewels back in his pocket and unhanded me. "An' what exactly is the relationship ye have to Jack?" He bent down until his face was inches from mine. I met his temper with equal force. "You will take kindly to remember your place, it seems you've forgotten and desperately need reminding." He snapped backward like my words had singed him. "It is not I," he hissed pointing a finger toward me, "who be needin' to remember their place, Karina." He reached for my forearm and held it tightly despite my efforts to loosen myself. He trapped my eyes within his own and said. "Ye shall forget him, there be no man lower to the ground than a serpent's belly than Jack Sparrow."</p><p>Just as quickly as he had me in his clutches, he unhanded me and quickly strode toward the Pearl. Pain stung my forearm and my head snapped down instinctively to inspect what caused it. Pink finger marks clung to the skin just as Barbossa's defiant words ensnared my mind. I broke free of the shock from the exchange and cautiously walked toward the ship. I felt someone touch my shoulder and I jumped backward, nearly falling into the shallow, rocky sea. "Whoa, relax Kari." Ajay reassured with his hands up in concerned defense. "Oh, Ajay," I breathed. "I didn't see you, I'm sorry." Ajay eyed me uneasily. "Everythin' alright?" I sighed a breath I had been holding since Barbossa had left. "Truthfully, no. That man is a brute and something should be done about it." Ajay seemed to know exactly who I meant. He nodded, looking toward the planks of the dock. "You were right, Ajay. Something is coming and we have to warn Jack." He wouldn't meet my eyes. "It don't be my place Karina." "What?" I eye him up and down in shock. "I fear the first mate as much as you do, but not every man in the crew feel the same. He have their respect." We both look to the Pearl where Barbossa was boldly ordering crewmates to their duties, the men scurrying about frantically in compliance.</p><p>"Something must be done. True respect can't be earned through fear alone. What of their loyalty to Jack as their captain? That must warrant something…" I gaze toward the Pearl, wheels in my mind churning. Ajay clicked his tongue and shook his head, eyes still pointed downward, "You will learn, Kari. Pirates follow the man they expect will lead em to the most gold. Never mind loyalty, never mind time spent in service. Gold speaks, otherwise a pirate's soul be restless."</p><p>"Oi, you're right old chap," I heard Jack's voice behind us and turned. He clapped Ajay and I on the back and stared at the ship. "And soon it'll be Aztec Gold doing all the talking." "Jack," I don't hesitate. "I've got to speak with you about something." Ajay's head snapped up and he stared wide-eyed at me then to Jack. "Everything alright, Love? You look quite baffled." Jack stroked my cheek gingerly. "She mean the first mate," Ajay interjected. "I saw him talking wid her, wid wild force and he stormed off just now." He angled his head toward the Pearl which Jack followed with his eyes. "Never mind that, he was blatantly disrespectful toward you in his words. He has no respect for your leadership, Jack." I can't make out the look behind Jack's eyes, it resembled one of indignation with a hint of fear. He suddenly snapped out of it and returned to his energetic tone. "Oh, once we get some gold in ole Hector's hands, it'll appease him. I'll give him a talking to."</p><p>"What, for this?" I hold up my arm revealing the finger marks. "After the proper scolding you give him I say we strand him on this rock." Jack snatched my arm and examined it. "How did you get that?" He asked in a low, fuming voice. "While I was walking to the docks, Barbossa stopped me and offered me a blue-jeweled pendant, and when I refused, well." I gestured to my arm, exasperated. "That's it." Jack dropped my arm and sped off toward the Pearl. "Jack, hold on-" Ajay stuck a toned arm in front of me, blocking me from following. "Why-" "Uh uh," he shook his head, "you not getting caught in the crossfire. We done it now."</p><p>I held back, the disquieting tone in Ajay's voice urged me to stay put. I watched as Jack boarded the ship and immediately began altercating with Barbossa. Both gestured toward me and I wanted to make myself disappear. "Oh god…" I had half a mind to catch a ride back to Port Royal in a dinghy. My pull to Jack planted my feet on the ground firmly, and I knew that this battle was not his alone. "Leave them be for a while, Kari." Ajay cautioned. "Here, I show you how to untie these ropes…"</p><p>Once back on the Pearl, I go to my cabin, sorting my clothes in the small wardrobe. Just as he said he'd do, Jack had arranged for linen curtains to be hung over the door, giving me some semblance of privacy. I was bent over my costume bag searching for the pistol my mother left as a parting gift. I feel my hands clasp around the cool handle and reveal the small thing. I analyze each piece and find the trigger, pointing it straight out in practice. "Hope you're not coming after me with that." Jack's voice teased from the doorway through the parted curtains. I smile solemnly and slip the pistol into the drawer beneath the wardrobe. "Not you exactly." Jack reaches for my hand and we share an embrace, I breathe in the scent of him and try to shake the anxiety from my body. I exhale deeply and back away to look into his eyes. "Is it finished?" He pushes a strand of golden hair from my face. "For the time being, Darling. It's finished." He bends to plant a kiss on my forehead. "Now to bed."</p><p>Three weeks pass as we sail for Isla de Muerta. Jack and I analyze our twin maps and he teaches me how to chart a course. I continue learning how to do this and that around the Pearl, and Jack insists that I learn how to give orders as he does. I've taken to sleeping with Jack in the captain's quarters, nightfall is the only time where I feel utterly safe. Though I had begun to settle into a sense of normalcy, a spell hung over the Pearl and would not be shaken. It was as if the very air was holding its breath, waiting. The crew had taken to whispering to one another, the loud bustle I had observed before was gone. Silent whispers that passed unbeknownst to Jack, who was hell-bent on reaching Isla de Muerta within a month. I mention these observations to Jack, and he attributes them to bouts of gold lust.</p><p>"Oh Jack…" I murmur, his head between my legs caressing me with his honeyed mouth. "Mmm?" He asked, the vibration sending tingles up my spine. It was the eighteenth night since Tortuga, we were set to reach Isla de Muerta within a few days. I lay in the captain's bed, the silver moon illuminating my naked body draped in a black sheet, Jack's arms wrapped around my legs, head bent down and mouth loving my most vulnerable center. "Look at me." Jack pushed himself up and edged closer until he was hovering over my face. "With pleasure," he whispers in my ear and kisses my cheek. He lays on the bed, curling my smaller frame into his own with one arm until I'm wedged in the crook of his body, the position we had slept in nightly. "I've always loved you, if nothing more than the idea of you. Our past, my lineage, all of which are connected…" I watch the waves churning outside the full-length grand windows and continue, "I want you to know here at this moment, I love you Jack Sparrow. You needn't say anything, but I feel you should know that the man you have become, I love, and always will."</p><p>I expected to feel anxious dread. But what overtook me after speaking those words was complete serenity. My heart given to Jack's was no longer mine to vigilantly guard behind walls. He was my partner in word and action, and I felt it this night. "For many years," he began, "I watched you grow, wondering whether I should sweep you off of that island or wait just a while longer. My voyages were dependent on making my way back to you. And so, Karina, that is my path. I shall always come back to you, and so you are my love." He kissed the back of my neck and shakily breathed I love yous as we settled into slumber.</p><p>"Get up an' dress yourself." I felt the piercing blade of a knife pressing onto my throat. My eyes snap open and my heart begins to pound in my ears. The knife startled me so suddenly that my mind could not place whose voice had commanded me to rise. "Alright, alright," I try to assert the calmest voice I could muster, trapping the molten fear beneath my throat so as not to allow my voice to quiver. I hold both hands outstretched and slowly angle my head to face the voice in the dark. A shadow of a short balding man stood before me, whose gruff voice became clear. "Pintel?" The pirate lowered his eyes in shame or embarrassment and then snapped his head back up. "Yeah, yeah, alright. Wake up sleepin' beauty over 'ere." He motioned to Jack with his free hand, the knife dropped somewhat with the motion. I eyed Jack's pistol on the bedside table. "I wouldn't think about that if I was you." Regetti's voice drifted from the doorframe and I met his eyes. He was aiming a pistol toward Jack's head. Worry rushed throughout my body and my hands began to shake. I swallow and muster a mildly concerned look. "Can I ask why, men?" My eyes flit between the pirates, searching for an answer. "Captain's orders." Pintel grunts and throws my skirts to me forcefully.</p><p>Without taking my eyes off of Pintel and Regetti, I softly tap Jack's shoulder. "Jack, wake up. We've got company." It was mutiny, I knew it. What other explanation could there be for this intrusion into the captain's quarters. "Eh? What?" Jack roused from sleep and immediately felt the stiffness in my body and saw my wide-eyed expression. He snapped to attention and tried to sit up in bed. I blocked his torso from making a sudden move with my forearm. "Sh, slow." I utter in a tone I hoped only he could hear. "Dress yourself, Sparrow." Pintel commanded. "By order of the captain."</p><p>Jack held his hands out and opened his body toward the men. "Gentlemen, what is the meaning of this? Wakin' up your captain in the dead of night…" "You ain't the captain no more." Pintel angled the knife toward Jack and I heard the definite click of a gun ready to be fired. "I say we get up, and see what all this about, hm?" I say to Jack but loud enough for the pirates to hear. Jack's wide eyes meet mine and we share a look: we would need to formulate a plan. Jack held the sheet up to cover me as I dressed, as I did for him. We slowly edge to stand with our hands lifted, as Pintel and Regetti got behind us, weapons raised.</p><p>"Jack, it's a mutiny." I hoarsely whisper. "I know, Darlin'" Jack returned the whisper with an even tone so as not to raise suspicion. "Get behind me if they start firing, understand?" My eyes widen at the thought of active shooting and I softly nod. At the sight of our conversing, Regetti shoves me forward. "Eh, there's no need for any of that…" Jack turns his body toward them and is met with the pistol inches from his face. "Keep it moving Jack." Pintel's tone warns.</p><p>Once we reach the deck, we are met with men's voices buzzing raucously in the night and bustling weapons being pulled from their sheaths. A crowd has formed and Regetti pushes us through, Pintel still at our backs with the pistol. Jack grips my forearm and pulls me slightly behind him at an angle. Pintel pushes us with a hand on each of our backs as we break through the sweat-soaked belligerent horde of crewmates. My eyes meet the deck as I stumble to catch my balance. Before me are a pair of black boots, firmly footed on the ground with the weight of authority grounding them. Fear grips me anew as I slowly raise my eyes, chin, and head with the slow caution of a snake lifting its head from the ground. Once I am standing upright I am met with the face of Barbossa, his yellow-toothed smile solidified my suspicion that this indeed was a mutiny.</p><p>Barbossa bends to whisper something in my ear and I flinch. "Sorry to wake ye, me siren." He strokes a finger down my cheek. "Captain's business comes at all hours, I'm afraid. But don't worry," he crooned, "this'll only take a moment."</p><p>I stare at him with disgust, not masking anything behind flattery nor speaking a word. Barbossa nodded at Pintel who simultaneously pushed Jack forward as Regetti gripped both arms behind my back, causing me to yell in surprise. Jack steadied his footing as Barbossa stood before him, unnerved, with a grin that filled me to the brim with dread. "Jack," he greeted the captain with a nod of his head, tall feather on his hat bending only slightly. "Ahem," Jack cleared his throat, "Hector." Fear flashed behind his eyes and I saw them twitch frantically, searching for a way out. "I won't be wastin' the crew's time with formalities," continued Barbossa, who gripped the handle of his new sword. "It's time for a change of command aboard the Pearl, and the men have decided that it be I deservin' the title of captain." I gaze at the array of faces before me, searching for a sympathetic one. I suddenly realized that we had stopped. The ship wasn't moving. 'Oh my god,' I thought as my eyes widen, 'He won't throw him overboard.'</p><p>Barbossa continued with his pompous speech about the transfer of power as I scanned the crowd for Ajay. He was in the back with Jaheim, hanging his head. "Ajay" I desperately hiss through my teeth. "Quiet now, Karina." Regetti urged. "You don't have to be a part of this, you know." I twist backward to meet his eyes. "You can choose loyalty to your captain." He shook his head in a baffled and determined state, clearly plugging his ears to anything I said in order to avoid facing his guilt. I snapped my neck back to Ajay who was looking at me with fear-based solemnity. I shook my head, wide eyes flashing about, wordlessly asking him if there was anything he could do. He lowered his gaze to the deck once again and I huffed in disbelief. All of Jack's crew who served him for years were this quick to abandon him.</p><p>"There must be some, uh, agreement we can come to. I'll mop the decks until we land, then Karina and I shall be on our way, you keep the gold, every last piece." Jack bargained with the unflinching Barbossa who chuckled at the suggestion. "Yer time to be off is now," he extended an open arm toward the plank which was poised for use. "There be an island not a hundred meters away, that'll be all yours to command." The swarm snickered behind their wicked new leader. "As for Miss Lemaire," he gestured toward me. I held my breath for what came next. "The lady is a prized guest of the captain's, an' as we both know, that be ye no longer." Jack snapped his head to meet my gaze. His expression mirrored mine as we both succumbed to panic.</p><p>"No, Barbossa. I demand to be set free," my voice boomed in anger overtaking the fear that threatened to bring me to my knees. "Take the map, plunder the gold, do as you please. My time onboard The Black Pearl is finished." I wrenched free of Regetti's weak hold. Barbossa calmly strode toward me and stopped within a breath's distance. "Alas, that were not our arrangement, Darlin.'" He crooned. "Ye have not yet upheld yer end of the bargain, leadin' us to Isla de Muerta amongst other requests…" He reached a hand toward me and I stepped backward into Regetti. "Bo'sun," Barbossa called, without turning back to Jack. "Bring the pistol." I watched as Bo'sun stepped forward clutching the weapon. He walked with purpose toward Jack, shoving the gun into his hands. "That there pistol only contains one shot." Barbossa never took his eyes off me, grinning smugly. "It may not be appealing to ye now, but after the sun's beaten ye down with heat, yer lips crackin' with thirst, and yer belly moanin' from hunger." He whipped around to face Jack, "the alternative be merciful, what say ye?"</p><p>My gut wrenched and I dry heaved the despair I felt with Barbossa's callous words. After the jeering laughter of the pirates died down, Barbossa said in a cool, knowing tone. "Take a walk, Jack." The men immediately bustled around like ants, encircling Jack so that I could no longer see his face. "Karina? Karina?" Jack called louder and louder as I craned my neck to see his head bob over the sea of his mutinous crew that was quickly edging him onto the wobbly plank.</p><p>My body moved with instinct as I slammed my foot on Regetti's, and in his shocked surprise, I jabbed an elbow into his face. "Oi!" He called in pain as the glass eye thudded to the deck. "Jack!" I called to him and haphazardly pushed through the distracted crowd. I made it to the railing and gripped it with white-knuckled hands. He was edging shakily backward on the plank with arms outstretched for balance, the pirates shouting mockery at him, urging him further back. He angled his head toward me and shouted frantically, "My father, Edward Teague, find him and he'll look out for you. I love you, Karina." I watched as Jack lost his footing and fell into the black, rocky sea. "Jack!" I gripped the railing and swung one leg over the side, fully prepared to follow him into the murky depths. I push off as two arms encircle my body, forcing me to fall backward onto the deck. I didn't stop to see who had reclaimed me, I fought the entrapment forcefully, biting and scratching when force alone proved futile.</p><p>"Not so fast, me siren. Ye almost took a plunge." Barbossa hissed in my ear, his unrelenting grip compressing my lungs. "The sea's bitter cold this time a night." He threw me into Bo'sun's awaiting grasp, his strength helplessly overpowering mine. "You son of a bitch! You are worth nothing, nothing!" I call as Barbossa made his way toward the helm. "There's a special place in hell for the lot of you!" I felt hysteria bubbling out of my mouth as I spat the words, tears threatening to make me inaudible. "Jack!" I shout toward an unforgiving sea. My curses grew fainter as my voice lost its power. Bo'sun forces a cloth over my mouth and nose; I inhale the sweet scent of sedative. I continue murmuring threats as weakness overtakes my body. I'm barely able to fight as Bo'sun lifts and carries me to cabin. I thought, if not hoped, that death would soon overtake me rather than what lay ahead aboard the Pearl.</p>
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<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Awakening</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Hey everyone, we've been through a transition here. I'm so exciting for what's coming. </p><p>Keeping with the music posting- a song I consistently came back to was "Takaya Mija" by Theodor Bastard when Karina realizes that she will use her beauty and manipulative mannerisms to escape. This song exudes a powerful feminine energy that feels perfect for Karina's tactics. Let me know your thoughts! </p><p>I feel like shouting out more powerful fem energy. If you need more of that vibe, try out "Three Sisters" by Beats Antique. If you're like me, music highlights the writing, bringing all the feels to it. Enjoy!</p><p>See you in the next one. xx</p>
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    <p>"Frère Jacques, frère Jacques, dormez vous, dormez vous, sonnez les matines, sonnez les matines, ding ding dong, ding ding dong..." My mother's soothing voice lulled me to sleep as her soft hands stroked my curls. Our ship rocked back and forth encouraging my slumber. "Mama?" I asked, my voice hardly able to escape my throat. I had no idea if this was a dream; it felt as though I was shouting into an empty vacuum, though I could feel my mother's soft hands and the tips of her hair tickling my arms. She was here, sitting on my bed but far away at the same time. She wore a stark white nightgown, her equally alabaster skin glistening where the moon touched it. A sweet smile adorned her face, as it always had. "Yes Darling?" She spoke softly, allowing her lullaby to fade away. "Where are you, where did you go?" My voice cracked, tears bubbled out of the corners of my eyes. "Why, I'm right here Mermaid, I always will be." She gently touched the space beneath my collarbone, my heart underneath. Her blue eyes radiated serenity as she leaned down and kissed my forehead, then melted away as quickly as she came. I sat up in bed, as the room around me dulled into nothingness. "Don't leave me, I'm alone, I have no one!" I shouted in the dark. "Who were we, what was I to become?" Silence answered and I faded with it into the dark.</p><p>One star appeared directly above my head, then another, until the sky above me was filled with them, tiny white specks countless of miles away. "Do you believe we'll ever be able to touch them?" A voice next to me asked. I turn my head and see that the voice belonged to Jack. He was much younger, lying flat against the deck on my parents' ship, arms crossed behind his head gazing intently above us. I felt the warm deck boards beneath my back, saw the flitting white sails that I had not noticed before, and felt the gentle breeze that never left one's side at sea. "Maybe one day, but not in our lifetimes I bet." I reply, pondering why this felt so familiar. I had lived this before, and was now trapped in a memory. I didn't try to wake up, but instead closed my eyes, feeling the deck support me and warm me after the day's sun had baked the planks. Jack leaned on his side facing me, youthful grin flashing behind his eyes. "When I've got a ship of my own, you're gonna come with me, and we'll be the first pirates to sail to the stars, and we'll name islands after us." I open my eyes and smile amusedly at him. "Star islands?" I raise an eyebrow. "Why not? Nobody's ever touched them, they could be islands. And we'll name at least one after us." I return to observing the sky, "If anybody'll do it, it'll be you Jackie." Our burst of laughter quieted as the darkness enveloped the stars, every last one.</p><p>"Not so quick now, Kari." Nina's words pulled me onto a sunlit beach, hot sand beneath my feet and waves brushing my toes. "Let your breath guide your movement." Nina danced effortlessly with the waves, following their smooth churning and playful crash against our feet. I was on land. It was Port Royal, I was back. Had I ever left? "That's it, Child." She encouraged, her hair a strikingly beautiful black that I had not seen since I was young. Wrinkles had not yet marked her face, and her body moved with youthful fluidity. I closed my eyes, letting the energy from the ocean travel through the bottoms of my feet into my body, where Nina said it would it guide each motion. I opened my eyes to see Nina's beeming smile, her hand outstretched to mine. I reached for it and she roughly grabbed my shoulders and began shaking me. My surprise caused my body to freeze as Nina's eyes grew wild. "Kari, Kari!" She called louder. "Nina? What's wrong?" I surveyed her face, it grew frantic as she didn't hear me and continued to call for me. Nina's body morphed into Jack's, fully grown as I remember him. "Karina!"</p><p>"I'm right here, Jack!" My body snapped up in bed and a sharp pain traveled up my arm from my wrist. "Agh!" I yelled in pain and turned my attention to what caused the throbbing. My right wrist was tied with rope to one of the bars on the bed. I pulled in vain and snapped my head up to survey my surroundings. My head grew dizzy with weakness as it all hit me at once. I was on the Black Pearl. There was a mutiny and now Jack was stranded on an island, most likely dead. And now I'm a captive. "Karina? Are ya alright?" Ajay was hovering beside my bed, arms outstretched to calm me. I guffaw and motion to the rope restraining my hand. "Do I look alright, Ajay? I'm tied to a bed rail! And Jack's…" tears well in my eyes. I swallow them, determined to find a way off this atrocious boat. "Jack is dying, if not already dead." My grief melted into rage. "And you killed him." "Kari, I had no choice!" Ajay pleaded, "Most of the crew wanted Jack gone. Only a few of us remain loyal, but they woulda killed me too!" I saw Ajay's eyes become blurred as emotion threatened to break his composure.</p><p>I breathe deeply and try to understand Ajay's position. "You said there are others who don't agree with the mutiny?" I ask. "Aye," Ajay wouldn't meet my eye. "There's Jaheim and Bootstrap Bill that I know are devoted to Captain Jack." I swallow any hysteria that threatened to scream at Ajay for he and his fellow loyal crewmates' passivity the night of the mutiny. "Well," I place the fingers of my free hand on his chin and it lift up, making him look me in the eye. "You all need to help me think of a way to escape. And soon. I don't know what Barbossa's intentions are keeping me onboard like this, but any outcome I can think of isn't a good one." Fear passed behind Ajay's eyes and he nodded compellingly. "He send me in here to see if you are awake. It has been two days of you sleeping like this, you need to eat something." He pulled an orange from his pocket and handed it to me.</p><p>I took it and glanced at the small knife on the table from my mother's vest. "Can you hand me that pocket knife so I can peel this?" Ajay handed me the knife cautiously. "Do you know the reason he kept me here?" I asked, as I hold the orange in my bound hand and began peeling with the other. "He didn't say, only asked me to make sure you are awake and have eaten." I pop an orange slice in my mouth. The juice that squeezed out soothed my dry throat that I had only just noticed. "Well, I've done both of those things." 'You can report that back to your new master.' I thought but didn't dare say aloud and distance myself from my only ally. "I'm still feeling lightheaded from the tranquilizer that our dear Bo'sun had me inhale, so I'd like to lie down for a moment." Ajay nodded and stood up to leave. As he neared the curtain hanging in front of the door, he turned slightly. "I'm so sorry Karina. I know what it feel like being apart from your love. I would never do a thing like that to no one." I nod, appreciatively. "Just remember our agreement Ajay, help me escape and all is forgiven."</p><p>Once Ajay had gone, I survey my surroundings, the wardrobe, the desk, the books strewn about on top, and the window overlooking endless sea that was once full of exciting promise; it now mocked me. I beheld the world but now could not grasp it. I try not to think about Jack's wide-eyed fearful expression as he was edged off of the ship, his ship, but his face flashed in my thoughts, clouding my plan of escape. I refuse to accept that Jack is close to death, thinking like that won't help me now, in fact, it will do the opposite. 'Oh god,' I shudder, 'Why am I here, what purpose does the Black Pearl's new captain have for me?' I turn my attention to the rope tightly binding my wrist to the bedrail. I quickly begin etching my mother's pocket knife into the cord, determined to free myself, after that I hadn't thought any further. I see a shadow outside the curtain and shove the sticky knife under my pillow to await my guest.</p><p>Bo'sun slung the curtain aside, his mouth a thin line, eyes narrowed at me. "Bo'sun," I sit up attentively and nod my head in welcome. I never take my eyes off his. I had made up my mind, displaying my fear and anger for all onboard to see would not help me. How I would be able to compose myself around Barbossa, I had not figured out. How I desperately wanted to shove my little knife into his throat. Bo'sun grunts in greeting; I noticed the slightest flicker of shame come across his face. It was quickly replaced by suspicious disdain. "The captain requests you dine with him at sunset. You will wear the ensemble you wore your last night on Port Royal." I raise an eyebrow at the thought. I hadn't touched my dance garb since being onboard. Wear what I was wearing when I met he and Jack? 'What kind of sick bastard…'</p><p>I nod and swallow the fear threatening to escape my mouth. "One problem." I say, shaking my bound wrist for him to see. "Hmph," Bo'sun muttered, striding over to me with sword unsheathed. With one upward stroke, he split the rope in half, not noticing the etchings I had already made. "Thank you," I watch as he returns the sword to its holder and turns to leave. He pauses at the door and quickly turns to me, mouth poised to speak. I calmly wait for his words, an apology perhaps, or better, an offer to help me escape. He stutters once, and grunts, as if snapping out of whatever feeling had possessed him. He ambles out of the room, billowing the curtain behind him. 'That's interesting,' I think, presuming that Bo'sun held some guilt from the mutiny inside him. That could be of use later.</p><p>I stretch my free hand and carefully stand up away from the bed. My head swam with dizziness; Ajay had said I'd been sleeping for two days. I walk over to the window and barely touch the glass, it felt like a delicate prison cell. I watch the sun begin to slowly descend back to the depths. Darkness was enveloping the sea, and as light slipped further away, I became more fearful. Dine with Barbossa? Was this a pretense for something worse? I couldn't refuse, there was nowhere for me to go. I could refuse and wait for him to storm angrily in here, knife in hand… 'Then what?' I began pacing the room, Nothing Ajay could do would stop the crew from killing me if I murdered their captain.</p><p>"Damn!" I sat at the desk in a huff and observed a small, circular mirror peeking out at me from under one of the books. I tugged at its handle and lifted it in front of my face. I blew at the layer of dust that had accumulated from disuse. 'That's it.' There were few advantages I had in this situation any way you slice it. I could hole myself in here and let the distrust build among my captors, making the possibility of escape nearly impossible. I could fly out of here in a murderous rage, God knows I wanted to, but I would only succeed by a miracle. Even then, how would I sail a massive ship by myself back to civilization? I had to compose myself, until the opportune moment. Years of watching powerful men, observing their egos and fine tuning approaches to stoke them, all those years of blackmail was to prepare me for this moment. Barbossa was a fierce man, capable of murder and insurrection as I had seen. But fear of being second-best propelled his every move. That's what I would focus on. I would make him trust me, that's what will help me escape.</p><p>I prop the mirror on a stack of books and begin pulling cosmetics out of my costume bag. 'It would need to be believable…' I ponder every action, plan each word and glance I would give him or withhold. As I began drawing a cat-like line over my eyes, I try to deduce what had compelled Barbossa to keep me here. He had the map to Isla de Muerta, I could be of no further use to him on that front. For sex? I shudder, no it wasn't that simple. Any port this side of the Atlantic had plenty of women for him to beg that favor. Rouging my cheeks with red tint, I am reminded of what Ajay had cautioned weeks earlier. Something about Barbossa wanting whatever Jack had and taming any force that challenged him. I couldn't give in to whatever he demanded too easily, he likes it challenging, and I wanted to get the hell out of here.</p><p>I swirl my finger in the red pot and tap my lips, adding a seductive hue to them that reminded me of Mary's, of preparing for nights when I watched every movement, every illusive conversation between patrons, searching for the slightest morsel of intrigue that would keep me well-fed for a month. I look to the open wardrobe, the coins on my skirt twinkling in the last rays of sun. I rise and take a breath to calm my nerves. I slip on the coin skirt and modest bustier I had worn the night of my departure. I'm reminded of the nerves I had then, that time felt like worlds away. My stomach sank at the thought my budding feelings for Jack, how after all these years he was taken from me again. The worst part was not knowing whether he was dead or alive. I shake my head as a single tear rolled down my cheek. I watched it in the mirror, my perfectly made-up face acting as a shield, concealing the white-hot rage beneath. Just as my youth and innocence had done when my parents were killed. But unlike then, I would avenge Jack. How I would do so I did not yet know. Somehow I would make his mutinous crew atone for their evils.</p><p>Taking one final look, I lay the mirror face down on the desk and face the sea. The sun was at the precipice between our world and another. The waves slowed until there was nothing but energy swirling beneath them, waiting. I began stretching my limbs as I had done habitually before a performance. I evened my breaths and relaxed each muscle into a fluidity. Feeling the rhythm of the waves' energies, I close my eyes and sway with each ripple of movement, feeling the force enter through my feet and undulate within my body. I felt the placidity from the sea enter each muscle, the rise and fall of my arms mirroring the shrinking and swelling of the waves. I open my eyes when I hear a creak of shoes outside the door. I did not turn away from the window as Bo'sun pushed the curtain aside stoically. He remained in the doorframe and boomed. "The captain is waiting." 'As am I.' I thought and faced him. After taking in my freshened appearance, he motions for me to exit the room, which I do purposefully. I stop beside him and look up to meet his eye. "Take me to him."</p>
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<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Donning the Mask</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Finally done! Next time, we finally finally reach Isla de Muerta! </p><p>Some music for the vibe:<br/>Ahwak Hiba- Zeid Hamden<br/>Black Mambo- Glass Animals<br/>Istanbul Dubphonics- Drumspyder Remix- Shaman's Dream<br/>Shangri La- Boyd</p>
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    <p>Bo'sun gripped my arm and pointed me in the direction of the captain's quarters. I breathe deeply until the shakiness within my heart calmed, the mound of grief and searing anger cooled and returned to the depths of my core, waiting. I had concluded that I could not approach Barbossa as I had at Mary's with every lusty patron who walked through the doors. No, he would suspect me. I would conduct myself as a humbled, austerely-despondent woman learning the tricks of the trade in piracy. I would muster the slightest hint, only detectable to power-hungry leeches, of arousal to authority. A formidable force would I be, softening only for the commander. He was the captain now, or at least I would lead him to believe I had accepted that.</p><p>We creep the few last steps before the captain's quarters. Bo'sun knocks once and the door creaks open, the smell of wine and burning candles tightly coils around me, threatening to choke me. I wipe the tears that welled in my eyes from the strong aroma and wrench free of Bo'sun's grasp, eyeing him with slight malice for having constricted my body in some way twice now. "You go." Bo'sun grunts and gives my back a slight push. "I figured as much." I can't hide my annoyance as I prepare to conceal behind my carefully constructed mask. I roll my shoulders back and enter the room, my head lofted with guarded pride. Candles array each crevice of the room, illuminating this space that I had spent many hours inside, with an unfamiliar eerie glow. An extravagant meal was presented before me on the dining table, fruit, breads, wines, and, at the center, a pig with a plump apple shoved in its mouth. I sympathize with the animal, on display for all to slice into, in such a humiliating position. 'All this pompous display of wealth that isn't his by right…' I think and turn my head, searching for my gracious host, the burning candles and alcohol creating a near fog obstructing my sight.</p><p>"Why, me siren is as exquisite as the night I first laid eyes on her, if not more so." I hear his voice behind me, and I strain to resist whipping around and searching for the source. I gradually turn as generously slow as I could muster, visibly taking in the changes made to the captain's quarters. Barbossa stands by the entrance, only the outline of his immense black hat visible. He places an outstretched hand on the door, pushing it so that it shuts with a low groan. I gulp, 'no running out of here now…'</p><p>"I wouldn't know how to answer that," I meander to the other side of the table, observing the lavish meal before me, but in reality was creating a barrier between myself and my captor. "It seems one-sided that you look upon me and I'm unable to do the same. Why do you hide yourself?" 'It could be because you're a mutinous coward…' The coins on my skirt clink together softly as I position myself behind the high-backed chair that Jack most preferred. The floorboards creak as he steps out of the shadow, the moon revealing his frame, the way he carried himself was taller, more confident than before. A triumphant, lecherous grin was displayed on his worn face. With a chuckle, he quickly circles the dining table where I stood, forcing me backward involuntarily. He places a firm hand on the back of the chair, seemingly reading my thoughts concerning Jack's partiality to it. "It don't appear to be myself who's hiding." 'Shit, calm down' I take a breath and steady myself. "In truth," I form my words carefully, turning my back to him and gazing out the window toward the sea. "I've never before feared a man as I do you. The men that I've encountered, British soldiers and pirates alike are all the same, so simple and cowardly. I'm not accustomed to such…" I ponder, 'Brutality? No,' "strength." Lace the truth within a lie, Barbossa did scare the hell out of me, but he's no different from the rest. I wasn't naïve to the notion that if any one of those pirates onboard had the chance, they'd take what they could as he did.</p><p>"Karina," Barbossa reached for my arm and wrapped his snake-like fingers around the flesh above my elbow. I did not flinch, I abated the instinct, though I did not receive his touch like honey as I had always done at Mary's. I remained stiff with caution, some genuine, some a part of the act I was creating. I was the alluring woman who'd seized an opportunity for wealth and fell upon the Black Pearl at an inopportune time, and was tired of caring for myself. I'd leave an opening for him to offer his protection, I was absolutely positive that this was his angle. This was the novel role I'd concocted; I hope it'll set me free.</p><p>I look down at his grip on my arm, refusing to meet his eye, playing into that fear. He affectionately stroked my arm with his thumb and with his other hand tilted my chin up to meet his gaze. "Ye have nothin' to fear. How can a lowly pirate such as myself show ye that I mean ye no harm?" I let my body loosen from its stiffness as if it were in the grasp of a cobra and muster my most concerned look. "How do I know you won't leave me marooned like Jack? You can tell me my purpose here."</p><p>Barbossa chuckled and released me, dragging a smaller chair out from under the table. I feared for a moment I had made an error, this dance feeling like a life-sized game of chess until he motioned for me to sit, which I did cautiously, never taking my eyes from his. He settled into Jack's chair and poured a glass of the fragrant wine for me and himself. "Try the wine." I graciously lift the glass, making sure that my hand did not shake. I gave it an unnoticeable sniff for any of the sleep-inducing herbs of my knowledge. The drink was strong to be sure, I wouldn't ingest much. I did not fear my being poisoned; he wanted me alive.</p><p>I swallow the smallest trickle, feeling the strength of the alcohol burn my throat all the way down. He watched me cough at the surprise of its potency as I return the glass to its resting place. "It's very full-bodied." I manage to choke out, "but refreshing." He flits his gaze to my bustier and meets my eyes once more. "Aye, I could not agree more, Miss." I chortle and take another swig. "In earnest Barbossa, why keep me? You have both halves of the map to Isla de Muerta in your possession. What use do you have for me?" Barbossa laughs and drinks his entire glass in one swallow. "Jack were not fit to hold the title of captain, Karina. Ye saw it yerself, he was flighty, reelin' wherever the wind blows, weak. For whatever childish affection ye had toward him, I sincerely apologize for causin' ya distress." I nod, my eyes firmly planted on my drink. I feared that if I looked him dead in the face, my disgust would shine through. "The Black Pearl needed a captain. I filled the role, as it were." Barbossa poured himself another glass of wine, and I held my hand out in protest when he filled mine.</p><p>After a short pause, I clear my throat and begin speaking the story that I had rehearsed in my head for the last hour. "Jack was a childhood friend of mine, he reminded me of my parents. They were pirates you understand, killed by British soldiers." Barbossa nods, "Aye, I've been told of yer heritage." I continue, "And to see him killed like that, well, it reminded me of my family's death." He says nothing, and I angle my head to see if any guilt permeated through his fierce facade. At once he leans toward me and trails a finger down my arm as if inspecting a new acquirement. "It had to be done, Karina. There were no alternatives."</p><p>I gulp, preparing to go against my own self and lie through my teeth. "You are right Barbossa, in that you are more fit to lead a ship of this size and of this wealth." I glance around the chamber for emphasis, and rest my gaze on his face. He was eating this up, eyes aglow with excitement, a smile poised to crack through chapped lips, his grip tightening on my elbow. I breathe, "But I fear you, as I said. I fear for myself, my standing on this ship is unclear without Jack's familiarity. I've looked out for myself for so long, and I'm tired." I shake my head in feigned discontentment and plead with the captain with my eyes. "Tell me your intentions, please if you would."</p><p>Barbossa angled toward me, puffing his chest with the pride I'd just inflated it with. 'Predictable fool.' "Karina, yer the most beguilin' performer I ever saw. A man would be a wretch with a heart of ice not to fall under yer spell." He twirls a lock of hair between his thumb and pointer finger and continues, "But I am not fooled by yer wily tricks, me false-hearted Jezebel." I feel my eyes widen and my stomach drop in disbelief. Quick as a striking snake, he drops my hair and grasps my throat, nails slightly digging into my skin. I tense up and steady my quickened breath; I could still revive from this, there was some way… My eyes firmly planted on his, I say nothing, allowing him to gently run his pointer finger over my lips. "The lies ye told Jack pourin' from this honeyed mouth…" I purse my lips beneath his touch. "of love that ye didn't have for him. Couldn't have for him." He chuckles, "No, he were the captain of this here ship, and that were the object of yer warmth." I feign the look of being taken unawares, of being caught while relief flowed into my flushed face. He smiles knowingly and releases his grip on my neck and traces my cheek. "Who could blame ye, Karina? What ye most desire, is to have someone to take care of ye, aye?"</p><p>I nod my head with false shame. "It has been my wish for a long time, yes." I allow a breathiness to wisp within my voice, eluding to a desire that did not exist. "I would be most honored, if ye allowed me to care for ye, now that we are privy to one another's thoughts." I shake free of his loosened grasp and hold his gaze intently. "Barbossa, I am not privy to your thoughts. Surely a place here is to be earned not freely given." He leans his head back in a full-bellied laugh. "Patience lass, I will tell ye why I be needin' ya. Ye need to replenish yerself first." He motions to the meal in front of us, and I nod, sampling the foods before me. We eat in silence, which gave me time to ponder what sick charge he had for me. And how I was going to get out of it.</p><p>Once we had finished, Barbossa stands and saunters around the table, my eyes following his position. "A charming dancer, ye are Karina, but more important to me is yer keen ear for secrets." I furrow my brow as he speaks. "Secrets of allies, enemies, and riches to be found." He stops before the prostrated pig and picks the apple out of its mouth. Circling back toward me, he continues on. "I am intendin' to host guests of high standin' onboard the Pearl from time to time, and it'd bring me great pleasure, if ye'd entertain them." I snap up to stand, backing away from him. "You don't mean for me to keep the captain's guests warm at night and satisfied?" I draw out the word, shyly like one who is inexperienced in that art. I fully know that me sleeping with other men in his domain would infuriate him. I let the idea fill me visibly with disgust, to give him a little ego boost. He holds his arms out to calm me, "Never in a million years would I ask ye fer such. I only mean for ye to dance for 'em a while and report back to me any whisperins that ye find valuable." He presents the apple before me and I stay silent.</p><p>"And the Aztec gold?" I inquire at last, not taking the apple from his outstretched hand. If I get my hands on just a few pieces I could get… somewhere, back to Port Royal even. A nagging feeling sinks in my gut. I could try to find Jack, even just to gauge a clear answer if he is dead. Barbossa places the apple back on the table and strides in closer to me. "Well now, ye haven't a need for it any longer, wouldn't ye agree? I promise to undertake yer every need." I cock my head, genuinely confused. "I was promised a reward for this voyage, if not by you, a captain's word is to be honored." Before I can comprehend my blatant error in this game, I am pinned against the table, the backs of my legs pressing onto the hard wooden edge, Barbossa's hands firmly gripping the table by both of my sides. I had nowhere to run, I was stuck like that pig on a platter. And I had a feeling an apple was about to be shoved in my mouth.</p><p>"An' who be the captain here?" He hissed in my face, the yellows in his eyes and teeth clearly visible to me, making what I knew needed to come soon all the more disgusting. "You are, Hector, you are." I soften my tone and release the stiffness in my body against its will. His expression melts from rage into confusion as I softly place a hand on his chest, creating that distance with what little I could. I lower my gaze in submission, my voice beginning to falter in fear, but I mask it as shameful appreciation. "I've been on my own for so long, I'm not used to all of this. You've offered to look after me, and I haven't been grateful as I should." I glide the hand from his chest up to his weathered face tenderly. I'm careful to mimic the touch of a new lover, one that is cautious, holding back fierce passion beneath the restraint. I was in fact holding back fierce passion, every fiber within me fought the urge not to choke the daylight from his eyes. I lean in slowly so that my lips are nearly grazing his ear, his breath quick beneath my touch. "Give me time," I whisper breathily, "And I will change that." I squeeze my eyes shut and force my lips to lightly touch the space between his neck and earlobe. He sucks air between his teeth and tenses his body, clearly fighting restraint as well. I focus on the deep gray clouds meeting the blackened sea as a tempest swirls its way closer to the ship.</p><p>The door swings open and Pintel bursts inside. "Cap'n, a storm is near upon us. It'll beat us down if we don't anchor." Thank God for that little urchin. Barbossa whips his head toward the intruder and scowls deeply. "I see ye imbeciles don't understand the meanin' of 'not to be disturbed,'" I mask my relief with amusement. "Go," I pat his chest lightly. "We'll finish this discussion at another time." He holds my waist and pulls me close to him, "Tomorrow at first light, we reach the Isle of Cortez. Ye'll inform me of what ye think of my proposition." I nod in assurance and force a smile to my lips. It is returned with a salacious snicker as my captor releases his grip on me. I quickly take my leave, brushing past Pintel who was mentally putting the pieces together of what he had just witnessed.</p><p>Once I'm in the hall I can't help but rushing back into my rooms. I slash the curtains behind me and begin scrubbing my teeth with a dampened cloth. I had to get that taste out of my mouth. The guilt of letting that man touch me like that, I needed to get out, to learn for certain whether Jack was alive. How he would've reacted had he seen me practically throwing myself at that accursed devil. I shake my head, 'no' I was ensuring my way out, giving myself any chance of escape by not treating Barbossa with the true hostility and disdain that I felt for his and the crew's actions. 'Oh,' I wince and reveal the cloth was stained with blood from my incessant scrubbing.</p><p>"Kari?" I hear Ajay's voice calling from behind the curtain. "Come in." I groan as I try to halt the blood poking from my irritated gums. He peaks through the curtain and immediately notices the cloth spotted red. "You are bleeding." He enters and strides in toward me. "He beat you?" I sigh a weary laugh. "No, nothing like that." I notice a figure hovering behind the shade. "Who's your friend?" Ajay shakes his head remembering his purpose for coming. "Oh, come, come." He motions for his friend to enter. A tall man appears from the hall, a guilt-ridden austere look upon his face. "This be Bootstrap Bill. He's very unhappy about what was done to the captain." I give the man a once over. "He want to reinstate Jack as captain." I scoff at the two of them. "You're a bit late for that, Bootstrap was it?" I saunter closer to the man, anger that had been seething all evening was seeping through my cracking façade. "Jack is either hanging on by a thread in the elements, already dead, or, by some miracle," I raise my hands in sarcasm, "Been picked up by some good soul." "I wish to help, Miss." Bootstrap urges, meeting my eyes with emphatic distress. There was honesty behind them I knew but what good would that do now? "You can help by getting me the hell out of here," I snap. "That be the first step to reinstate him." Bootstrap calmly replies. "If we can get ye back safe on dry land, you can find him, if he is indeed alive, and restore him to his rightful place." I look down at the floor, not wanting either of them to see the tears brimming in my eyes at the mention of Jack. "Please Karina, I have a son. I don't want him growin' up knowin' his father is treacherous scum. We must set this right." I swallow both my grief and anger and meet his gaze. "If you two can help me escape I promise you that I will search every day until I see Jack living and breathing or his still body." 'But after that I don't want either of us ever boarding this living hell again.' I don't reveal this thought to Bootstrap lest he may lose his dedication to free me.</p><p>"We gonna get you out Kari, just give us some time to come up wid a plan." Ajay reassures. "It must be soon, Ajay." My impatience is evident, "Do you know the new captain's grand plan for my stay on the Pearl, hm?" They both shake their heads as Bootstrap ponders, "Barbossa never made us privy to…" "To his fantasy that while he sits his pompous ass on Jack's chair, displays the Black Pearl's wealth that was acquired by Jack, and entertains 'important guests' on the deck that Jack lead for years, that I am to charm all matter of these guests, seduce secrets out of them and come running back to captain. God knows what else, so it must be soon Ajay or the next time I'm left alone with Hector Barbossa I swear on all the Aztec Gold on that island I'll kill him."</p><p>The men eye each other and look to me, fully convinced I'll do as I say. "It will be soon, Karina. You have the word of loyal pirates." It's as good a promise as I hoped to get here, so I nod, thank them for their willingness to help me and send them out of the room, I could not let anyone see my fortitude of strength falter as the tears that threatened to fall since Jack's marooning ran down my face in uncontrolled sobs.</p>
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<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Devil Unleashed</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>We are doneee with this chapter yall! What we thinkin' how we feeling?? The cure is almost upon us ah thank yall so much for your suggestions I am definitely taking a few of em ;). See yall throughout the upcoming week! </p><p>Almost forgot the jams!<br/>-Mourning of the Gone- Theodor Bastard<br/>-Way down We Go- KALEO<br/>-Anubis-Theodor Bastard (can ya tell I love her ;)<br/></p>
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    <p>My supine body feels anchored to the floorboards as the waves powerfully rock the ship, up, down, up, down. I had opened the windows, letting seawater and rain reach through the opening and fall onto my body lying flat, absorbing the tumult. I was mesmerized by the deep crimson scarf Jack had gotten for me just weeks before, admiring its delicate beads in the candlelight and the careful red stitching perfected in another part of the world. Instead of sleeping through the night, I was trapped in my memories of the past weeks, of Jack Sparrow. I replayed over and over again in my mind our reunion, my realization that it was indeed Jack, my Jack, the adventure we had at Tortuga and the future ones he promised we'd have. And each time my mind brought me to his marooning, sobs echoed from my chest and engulfed me in exhausted half-sleep. Til I would awake and relive the experience once more.</p><p>I had accounted for two weapons in my possession. The small pocket knife of my mother's, and the pistol beneath my wardrobe. I hid these pitiful means of defense beneath my pillow, the only protection I had in my tiny prison. At some point in the night I found myself standing on the window sill, one hand clasping atop the room that nearly touched the ceiling, breathing in the tempest, salt and rainwater mixing together, creating the swirling pound of waves and thunder of sky. My dampened hair slapped my face as sea spray created a mist mixing with the tears that never ceased. The sea's energy mirrored the cyclone churning in my core, and my desire to throw myself into the sea, combining inward and outward storm, was halted by the thought of Jack alive, on that island or elsewhere. I needed that closure, to see Jack breathing or still, until then I would remain above the raging waters.</p><p>As much as it pained me to re-experience these memories, that viper Barbossa's words creeping into my thoughts was endlessly worse. He had touched a sore spot the evening prior, and made me realize that I did in fact carry the wish, so deeply inside me it's been buried, with layer upon layer of fortification solidifying it: a desire to be cared for. For stability that needn't be fought tooth and nail for every day of my existence. The truth was, I watched my backside day and night living the way I did at Mary's, and it was surprising that I had sustained that life for so long. Nina had helped tremendously, but she was aging. I hadn't depended on her for years, I had even begun watching over her shoulder as her hair grayed and her eyes dimmed their spark.</p><p>But Jack, he offered me love and adventure, and now I knew that I did crave the steadiness that he also provided. He said it himself, he viewed me as a partner; I'd never felt that support before, of letting down my guard for a moment because someone else had my back. Because I had a place to lay my head that was mine, and, in some capacity, I had control over my situation. The possibility had crossed my mind, even in the short time we'd been reacquainted, of having a child with Jack, righting the wrong done to my parents and his caregivers by raising them to never fear for their survival the way Jack and I had.</p><p>But that couldn't happen so long as I remained chained to the planks beneath me by the weight of grief and uncertainty. 'Get up, you've grown weak.' My mind willed my body up, what came next I'd tackle when I got there. I bent my body upward in a groan, grasping onto the table and steadying myself to stand. 'Make yourself presentable.' The trained deceptive voice inside commanded me; it knew that I would soon don the mask once more as hours had passed and Isla de Muerta grew ever closer. Barbossa was waiting for my answer to his deviant proposal, and I knew only one answer was feasible. An affirmation was imminent, coerced or not it didn't matter to this kind of man. I push incessant thoughts away and wash my face in a silver basin, delivered by Bo'sun in the middle of the night to wash myself with. He had said nothing when he saw me soaked to the bone, lying on the floor with Jack's gift clutched in my hands. We simply looked to one another; I felt that news of my condition would not make its way back to the captain's ear that night as Bo'sun's look was a rare one of mercy.</p><p>I peel off my soaked clothes and dip my hands into the basin, splashing water on my face, my neck, my body, trying to cleanse it of the relentless sensation of being unclean. My breath hitched in my throat, the awareness of being exposed had never caused me to fear before. I felt foreign in my own body, something I'd always had autonomy over, felt dangerous. 'Hell, if those men out there threw their captain overboard, what's stopping one from tearing down a silk curtain shade…'</p><p>I shake my head, beating the thoughts aside as I quickly slip on a simple white gown and sit down at the desk, pulling the glittery little mirror from its hiding place. I begin brushing my rain soaked hair, breathing my shaky hands into tranquility. I knew despite the dark storm raging on a few feet from me, that first light of morning was near. They'd be expecting me. He'd be expecting me. I scoff and outline my eyebrows, apply a flushed pink hue to my face and lips, and finally, curl and darken my lashes. 'Damn that man.' My catholic father would be rolling in his grave knowing the acrid hate spewing from my soul. 'No, he would kill that mutinous bastard without a second thought.' I slap my hand on the table and close my eyes. 'Hold it together…'</p><p>My eyes snap open. 'My father…' Jack had a father. At least that's what he said while plunging to the depths. How could Jack have a living father? He said to find him, in all the commotion since that night I had forgotten. I bunch my hair in my hands, wracking my brain for his name. The man deserved to know his son's condition, but I wouldn't get anywhere without a name. Perhaps he knew my parents, would hide me for a while after I escaped out of a sense of duty. "Karina?" A voice calls from the hall, pulling me from my mental search for the name Jack had called to me. My face pales in fear as I didn't recognize it as Ajay's. I clear my throat, summoning a steady deepness to my tone. "Who is there?" "It's Bootstrap, Miss."</p><p>I quickly stride the length of the room and whip the curtain back enough to usher him in, glancing to both sides. "You should be careful no one see you come in here so often. It's unwise." There were enough whisperings going on onboard this ship, I didn't need to be at the center of them while planning an escape. "You're right, Karina, I'm sorry I'm here to-""Quick," I interject while I can still remember. "What was Jack's father's name, do you know it?" I know I appear as a hysterical lunatic, wide-eyed, hair a wet mop filled with seawater, but I was fueled by the need to know this one fact. "Well," Bootstrap fumbles for words, "That would be Edward Teague, he's a renowned pirate-" "Oh," I clasp my hands together in triumph, "Bless you Bootstrap." I begin pacing the room, piecing a plan together around this key bit of knowledge. "I'll track him down, he'll help me find Jack, you see, he must know of me, for god's sake my parents looked after his son… And if he's as renowned a pirate as you say he'll have men-" "Karina," Bootstrap abruptly halts my pacing by clutching my shoulders tightly, "Barbossa does not trust you, that's why I came to warn you." My heart begins pounding faster and my stomach drops at hearing his words. "What, why?" I frantically search his eyes, their restrained concern accelerating my heartrate. "I overheard him speaking with Bo'sun. He wonders why you hide inside your chambers like a mouse after whatever happened when you dined with him. He fears you are deceiving him." "Well," I stammer, "It's the middle of the night, what am I supposed to do sleep out on the deck?"</p><p>"Talk with him," Bootstrap meets my misdirected frustration with ease, releasing my shoulders and holding his hands outward to steady me. "Hector Barbossa is a murderer and a mutinous wretch, but beneath all that he is a man. Now, I don't know very much about you, but what I do understand is that you are skilled at discerning what men want, so you can in turn get what you want." I say nothing and set my gaze on the floorboards between us, pursing my lips in unease. "You want your freedom Karina, you and I want the same thing: restoring Jack's ship to him. And I can't do my part while you've got every eye out there fixed on you." He turns his head toward the deck, referring to the crew just feet from us. "We require time to do this right. And you must understand these four walls can't protect you out here. Only you can."</p><p>I exhale shakily, clenching my fists so hard that my nails dug into the skin of my palms. Bootstrap spoke truth, but this truth was the last thing in the world I wanted to hear. Talk with him, pepper him full of lecherous falsehoods. This was an easy thing for a man I cared nothing for, but impossible for a man I loathed more by the hour. Finally, I meet Bootstrap's troubled gaze. "How much time do you need?" "We must get back amongst others, you've got nowhere to run so far from cities and ports. My plan is to lose you in Tortuga…" Tortuga. That was perfect. The port itself was a maze, one I could easily slip into undiscovered. Breathing in and forming the image of myself breaking free from the Black Pearl in the undiscoverable, hidden shadows of Tortuga, I consent to the patience that my new unpredictable ally needed. "Alright," I firmly squeeze from my tightened chest. "But you will watch him. Ajay and yourself, if I'm alone with him for too long, create a distraction, set the bloody sails on fire, I don't care just watch him." Bootstrap nods fervently, "You're in our eyesight, Karina. We will set this to rights." I solemnly smile at the weathered man, he was obviously plagued by this, and was unlike the other pirates who, as Ajay had said, only followed greed and rarely moral values.<br/>"And I promise when I'm back in Tortuga that while I search for Jack I'll learn the condition of your son. I'll tell him you send word myself if I'm able." At the mention of his son, Bootstrap lowers his gaze, unmistakable tears forming on the edges of his eyes. "We'll set this right." He utters again and leaves quickly.</p><p>Once I'm alone, I set about washing the smell of sea and rain from my hair, digging in my costume bag for the small vials of jasmine and vanilla that I tousled through the locks. I place the oils in spots Nina showed me where the scents would serve their purpose best. On my wrists, behind my ears, my chest. A shiver runs through my spine at Bootstrap's request. 'You must do it this way, and you must get it right.' Talk with him, that was easy enough. 'Lace the truth within a lie.' And I did discover the hidden truth within myself, I long to be safeguarded, and he would damn well believe I wanted him to do the job if I was going to get him to trust me long enough to let his eye wander from me for one second…</p><p>I assess myself in the mirror, with my doe-like eyes, and flushed hue, I had truly created a look of one vulnerable, innocent of all that's been done. Satisfied with my appearance, I sigh decidedly, knowing what must come next. Barbossa had had me in his domain the night before, so I knew that he wanted reciprocity, for me to welcome his presence in my space. Despite the sweat that began forming on my brow and my heart pounding up to my throat, I stood from the desk, focusing on breathing in composure. I ease toward the silk shade and pull it aside, though it felt like piercing a thick sheet of glass. I peer outside toward the deck and watch crewmates scurry about, preparing for our landing I assume. "Oi, hello Karina." I hear to my left and whip my head toward the voice. "Regetti? What are you doing?" I furrow my brow at Regetti standing right next to my door as if on a military post. "The captain's thought it'd be a good idea to have somebody right outside to make sure you was alright an' all…" I nod, "I see, how … thoughtful." Less than a day passes and I already had a little spy. "Regetti," I stammer with false nervousness, "Could you go get him for me? There's something I wish to discuss with him but not around the others, you understand."</p><p>"Well," he shifts in unease and averts his gaze, "See I'm not s'posed to leave my post…" So it was a post, I've got to put a stop to this now before I'm chained to the bed. "Please, It'd be such a grand favor, I'd greatly appreciate it Regetti." I bat my eyes and bite my lip in hopeful anticipation. The simpleton blushes and begins sauntering toward the helm. "Alright Karina, but don't go no where." "You have my word." I encouragingly call to him. 'Idiot, where am I gonna go?' I wish he had been the one who caused the insurrection; I'd be halfway to Port Royal by now.</p><p>'Focus.' I quickly tidied the room and sprayed hints of my perfumes around, I needed my space to appear welcoming and inviting. My hands shook as I fumbled through and straightened the piles of books. I decided to let them, I needed some genuine aspect of myself to show, or else I wouldn't be able to pull this off. The sea usually calmed me, but gazing out at the tempest might cause me to be sick, so I decided to sit at the desk and fix my eyes on the white shade, wisping with the rocking ship.</p><p>I hear an impatient rap on the doorframe and swallow the immobilizing anxiety back down to my core. "Please, come in." I jauntily call and stand, clasping my quivering hands in front of my body. Barbossa whips the shade back suddenly and enters the room with caution, eyes planted curiously on my own. He's donned in wicked black attire from his tall boots all the way up to his grandiose hat. "Hector, welcome. I can address you as such? I recall you had requested that to be what I call you." I shine a smile dripping with an expectant hope that made me sick. His expression remains stoic unlike Regetti's had. Gaining his trust was going to be an arduous process. "Aye, call me wha'ever suits yer fancy, Lass." He says in a low, even tone, eyeing me with distrustful severity, but I could spot that hint of lust quickening his breath as his gaze travels to my semi-transparent satin gown. "I heard ye had somethin' to get off yer chest."</p><p>I cock my head to the side in exaggerated confusion, propping my wrist on the table to accentuate my opposite hip. "Why so formal since last evening? Have I done something to upset you?" I feign worry and earnestly look upon his eye. "Ye've done nothin' but conceal yerself since we've last spoken, so how could ye have had the time to cause offense?" He snaps his attention to my face, studying my expression sternly. I lower my head in false shame, "Ah, I have indeed caused offense, by neglecting my generous host." I stand upright, padding over to him, stopping at a respectable distance. "I apologize. I had not fully recovered from the shock of the uprising, and so I slept longer than I usually do. I beg your pardon for my coldness." I allow a playfulness to come to my look. "And that wine was so potent, it put me right to sleep, you've got good taste."</p><p>Barbossa doesn't meet my eye as I've grown closer, and I begin to worry he'll have someone perched outside my door forever. "I've grown painfully weary of yer flattery, Karina." He spat in anger. "So whatever it is that so urgently requires my attention away from my ship, out with it." His yellow eyes grow wide as he steps closer toward me, a mix of frustration, rage, and something else brewing between the shortening stretch. "I am not flattering you," I nearly shout, genuine rage spouting from my lips. "You've no idea how difficult this is, Barbossa, no idea." I turn away from him and stride toward the window before doing something I regret like attempting murder. "An' just what is it that be so difficult," he was already upon me, hovering over my tensed body, his hot breath coming out in snarls. "Pray tell me, be it the loss of yer beloved Jack Sparrow?" He hisses sarcastically and places a firm hand next to my head on the chilled window. "No, you fool," I snap in an equally blazing temper. "You're so blind that you can't see that I fear you, that I truthfully respect you, that I…" I drop my gaze to the floor, "have a longing for…" His hand swiftly coiled around my throat with more ardent strength than the last time, forcing my eyes to meet his, nearly all of his weight in the grasp. "How am I to be certain yer words are naught but a lie, me siren…" It was working, 'oh god.' I grip his tight hold on my throat with both my hands and create enough space to choke out: "Because I accept your proposition. I wish to stay, be of service to you in the ways you request."</p><p>I hear a loud cracking sound, as the window opens beneath our combined weight. I let out a scream as I'm suddenly dangling nearly upside down in the storm, Barbossa's tight clutches on my legs the only thing saving me from a swift plunge. Heavy raindrops pelt my stiffened body, and I wonder if it would be an easier alternative to fall. He pulls me securely back through the window and I regain my footing on the floor. I instinctively back away from the opening and begin shivering uncontrollably from the cold rain soaking me and the heat of rage still poised to act. Barbossa stares at me wide-eyed with vigorous exhales, and I realize that in the candlelight, my gown is practically plastered to my body. We stare wildly at one another, two opposing forces threatening to strike. 'Just do it.' I cautiously step toward him as he overcomes me, hands wrapped tightly around my hips as mine go behind his neck, clutching his hair like I wanted to rip it from his skull. He engulfs my mouth with his, attempting to devour every drop of my being as his own. I bite his lip and taste blood, which he responds by lifting me by the waist so that all I could do was wrap my legs around his abdomen. 'No no no, get out of this.'</p><p>In a few steps he had slammed my body against the door post, all my weight forcibly wrapped around him, my stability totally dependent on his position. 'Think, damn it…' I become unnerved as his moans became more insatiable and his hands wander with near painful vigor. Bootstrap had said he'd keep an eye out for me in situations like this. I had to let him know what exactly was going on. To make some noise. I let out a moan that I hoped would signal them, anyone outside this room to spread a rumor like wildfire. Barbossa laughed at my exclamation and bent to suck the skin of my neck." Is that what ye fancy?" he breathes into the crook of my neck. Nothing. 'Shit.' I frantically search my mind for a sure escape. 'He can't be second-best…' I needed to get him fuming.</p><p>"Ha!" I guffaw with mockery, "you imbecile." Here was my truth, the emotion I allowed to explode out of me behind false words. "I had perceived you as a man of strength, of control," I laugh hysterically as Barbossa's face hardens from shocked confusion to simmering rage. 'That's it…' "What do you call that?" I motion to my sleek neck where he had left pale rosy marks. "A school boy could easily achieve such things. I thought you saw what you pleased and took it, I have been surely mistaken…" I tightened my legs around his core to brace myself. "You couldn't handle me if you desired. You, Hector Barbossa, are nothing but a weak fool."</p><p>'I've done it now.'. Before I can comprehend it, the incensed captain clears the table with one swift brush of his arm, clattering books, candles, everything to the floor while tightening his grasp on me with the other arm. My eyes widen in exaggerated surprise at his infuriated expression before he violently pins my body to the table with an equally deafening crash. "Ye dare speak to yer captain with such disrespect, wench? If I be havin' any sense at all, I would slit yer deceivin' throat…" He traces my neck sharply with his fingernail, leaving a burning stripe in its absence. Those crashes ought to have done it. "You know that's not what we want…" I embellish a labored breath at my surprise from the crash and melt in his hands and pull his face downward toward my neck. "Try again, Hector." I breathily command. He swiftly wraps both hands around my throat, trapping my head against the desk, greatly restricting my air," I pant as he rasps, "ye forget that only I deliver the orders onboard my ship, not a lyin' lecherous brat-""Sh, you don't mean that…" I choke, wrenching with both hands on his hold, "Let me show you I would not dare lie." He bends down suddenly next to my ear, tenderly brushing the hair away. "Show me how?" I gasp, open-mouthed. "I need…" I emphatically point to my constricted neck as edging words through my tightened vocal cords becomes too painful. "Ah," his salacious laugh echoes in my ear as his hand loosens and travels to my upper thigh, massaging the skin there. I clutch my throat, wheezing vehemently as air is restored to my lungs. 'We're into choking I see.' I sit up straight, Barbossa between my straddled legs, his body poised for any sudden action, daring it.</p><p>Once I regain steady breath, I brush my fingertips over his roughened face with both hands and force myself to longingly stare into his yellowed eyes, discerning what lay beneath them. "I apologize for what I've said," I bat my eyelashes to the floor and look back up at him, "The truth is I am stirred by confident displays of influence, and I was trying to coax that side out of you I knew was there." Where was Bootstrap? Anyone? They surely had to have heard all the upheaval. I swallow the simmering panic and continue, "It is deviant I understand, and so I plead forgiveness from my captain for challenging your command in such a way, let me show you I mean that." Sensing his tight grasp soften, I slide my hands on either side of his face and lean seductively forward to embrace him. As I gingerly greet his awaiting mouth with mine, eagerly accepting the bile I tasted as honey, I plan to my course of action with no help from my supposed allies. I do not snake a longing tongue into his mouth as I bid myself to do, I felt at any moment I would heave the extravagant food he had filled me with the night prior. Barbossa frustratingly senses my restraint and lurches forward, splaying my body against the desk once more. "Ye torment me, me unabashed temptation…" He snarls into my face and partially rips the gown from my chest, exposing my collarbone but no further.</p><p>The terror I wore in my expression is wholly genuine as I brace myself for a fight. What had I done trusting pirates to come to my rescue? He bends down and bites my neck with animal-like zeal which caused me to shriek in pain that was unknown to me. He clasps a firm hand over my mouth to muffle my raw cry and barks "Ye shall not undermine my authority on my ship ever again so long as I allow ye to live, do ye be understandin' my meaning?" I vigorously nod as he shifts downward a few inches, ravishing a second spot along my chest, the now familiar sting making me shiver with anticipated fear. "Once more me Jezebel, ye shall not sneer at my command if ye desire to live with the indulgence that I have bestowed upon yer circumstance." As the pain begins to dull, I shake free of his cupped hand. "You have my word." I croak emphatically. "And thirdly, he seethes," 'Oh god' I whimper, "Declare me a fool once more and I'll send ye straight to Davy Jones' locker," He snaps my head up by clenching my shoulders upward. I stare at him in terror, I had no idea what that meant but it could only mean some seamen's version of hell. "That is, after I do whatever it is I please with ye."</p><p>Before I can affirm my assent, Barbossa presses a hand tightly behind my head and engulfs my mouth in his, nipping at my bottom lip with no less carnality than the spots on my neck. I am frozen, never in my life had such brutality been done to me, I never let it. I was so naïve to believe I could keep up a façade without sacrificing physical vulnerability and violence well within this devil's territory. I would not make that mistake again until I was far away from this nightmare.</p><p>Suddenly, the crew outside begins roaring with one confirmation I knew had to be. At long last the Black Pearl had reached Isla de Muerta.</p>
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<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Revenge of the Ancients</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>*And scene* we're not done with Isla de Muerta yet, but we're getting there! How we feelin? </p><p>Jams on repeat this chap:<br/>Yearning (feat. Fathi Aljarah): Raul Ferrando<br/>Apsara Calling-Original Mix: CloZee<br/>Beggin' for Thread: BANKS (seriously yall THIS one is the vibe here)<br/>Earth Om (Sacred Resonance)- Byron Metcalf (when the Aztec gods speak)<br/>Darkness- Theodor Bastard (the last bit when the curse is placed)</p>
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    <p>Barbossa's cunning eyes shined with the prospect of gold. "What is it?" I angle my head toward the deck, drawing his attention toward the commotion and off of the warpath he was inflicting on me, I hoped. "Ah," Barbossa chuckles at my contrived confusion. "That would be the sound of gold lust, Karina. I take it they've set their eye upon the long awaited isle of Cortez." I nod, my stomach dropped as the memory of excitement I had shared with Jack concerning this moment crystallized in my mind. I disguised the ache behind a curious expression. "We've made it at long last?" I prop myself on my elbows, straining for comfort and wishing this behemoth would get off. He trailed a curl of hair behind my ear. "Aye, it would appear so." I sat up straight, forcing him upward. "Go, go." I pat his arm playfully, 'please for the love of god.' "I'll be out in a moment; I look a fright and should dress more appropriately for the crew's eyes." He laughs, suddenly cupping my chin in his hand and gently tilting it up, no doubt inspecting his handiwork. He leans down toward the sore spots which caused my body to tense and my eyes to squeeze shut, preparing for renewed stings. Instead, he soothingly kisses each tender spot and softly does the same to my bottom lip. 'Sick bastard.' "Ye remember our accord?" he utters against my stiffened face. I nod and strain myself to appear relaxed. "As clear as crystal, we have a deal."</p><p>He smiles at my understanding. "Wonderful, yer a very welcomed guest, Karina. I'll see to yer needs as they emerge." I lower my head in respect. "I'd be most grateful, Captain Barbossa." 'Insurgent son of a bitch.' "Please, I implore ye call me Hector, at least as far as we're concerned." I nod, indulgently. "As you wish." He gives my cheek a gentle peck and I watch as he saunters out of the room, stepping over the disarray he had created. "I won't be long." As soon as he'd gone, I begin to tremble at what had just happened, reaching my hand instinctively to my stinging neck. How careless I had been saying such things when I had no protection to run to. I would know better, I had to know better. I step to the floor and begin sorting through the rubble for the mirror so I could assess the burning splotches Barbossa had given me. I find the newly cracked mirror beneath several books, their pages loosened from the clamor. I hold it up gingerly in front of my face and suck air through my teeth at the sight. Two angry rose-colored welts had formed parallel to my collarbone. They appeared as snake bites. I hesitantly graze them with my fingertips, the raised skin stung at the touch. My lip wasn't as inflamed, but still slightly swollen. 'As soon as I have a single gold coin in my hands, I'm gone.'</p><p>A soft rap on the doorframe pulls me from my inspection. Oh god, he was back. I clear my throat and airily call, "Come in." Bootstrap warily peeks his head through the curtain, upon realizing I was alone, he quickly entered. "I thought I heard crashing sounds from the deck, and I just saw Barbossa leaving a few moments ago, are you al-" "Did I not say watch him?!" I moved swiftly, fueled by anger, and shove him backward. "Are you hard of hearing? I nearly got myself strangled to death trying to get your attention." Bootstrap raised his hands out in front of his body in surrender. "Karina, I am so, oh…" He caught sight of the enflamed blemishes and his eyes widened. "If you make a promise to look out for a woman when a man like that is concerned, you ought to be prepared to keep it if you have any decency at all." I snap, shamefully hiding the red stripes with my palm. "I swear to you, this will not happen again so long as I'm onboard the Black Pearl, Karina. I'll watch out for you, Ajay and I both, you have my word." "Alright," I begrudgingly affirm, tucking away my less-than enthusiastic desire to take it and began searching through the wardrobe for a shawl I had brought for chilled weather. "Isla de Muerta has been spotted." I pull the shawl from its place and prop the mirror on a few books, adjusting the wrap precisely up to my chin to cover the twin marks. "So I've heard." "I'll be sure to snag several gold pieces for you when we dock." Bootstrap's guilt was apparent in his countenance. I glace to him, "Oh, I'm coming with you all, I'm sure of that." He stammers, "I, well, I'm not sure Barbossa will allow-"</p><p>"Bootstrap," I breathe, mustering all the patience I had left and meet his troubled gaze, "It's a deserted rock, if I ran off, the crew would surely find me, or I'd starve to death with no means of leaving. If I can infer these outcomes, so can Barbossa. I'm coming, and I'll snag a few pieces of my own to be sure. If you're able to spare some for me, I would appreciate it." I grimly smile and pat his arm. "Thank you for your help, without it I'd have no hope of ending this hell. Now go, I can't be seen in here alone with you, not anymore." Bootstrap nods and turns to leave, "We'll get you safe." He insistently stresses. "I know," I compel myself to be calm and ease the searing aggravation coming from my neck. "We'll set this right." I let Bootstrap sneak outside ahead of me before I brush the shade aside, presenting myself on deck for the first time since Jack's marooning. I am met with a dull, gray sky, the rain having stopped for the time being as daylight hovered behind the clouds. I step out onto the deck with an air of confidence, though restrained under the Black Pearl's new master, to whom I wasn't a partner but an asset, an indulgence that must obey.</p><p>And so, I conduct myself as such when crewmen halt their tasks to stare at my appearance. I meet their gazes with distant formidability, my shrouded apparel signaling exactly who controlled how I would present myself from this point forward. I perch myself on the railing, overlooking the solitary black rock I had expected Isla de Muerta to be. I couldn't explain it, but as I stared at the isle, I felt a vehement urge to stay away, that the island itself demanded respect and seclusion. That it was enveloped in secrets that were better left undisturbed. "Is it what you had imagined?" Ajay was standing beside me, observing Isla de Muerta with equal interest. I turn to face him. "Do you have the feeling…" I search for a correct description, "That we should leave it alone? It seems," "Promising." He interjects. "Foreboding." "Kari we don't have many options. You must have some fortune to find your way once we get you out." The feeling in my gut urged against the sentiment, but I knew Ajay was right. I would need to afford a place to stay, food to get by in my search for Jack. "Besides, it won't be so bad being a bit richer, eh?" The gleam in Ajay's eye and the gold-tooth smile he cracked confirmed his interest in treasure, despite being on the moral side, he was still a pirate. I respected that balance of morality in him.</p><p>"Certainly, I can't argue with that." I conclude and continue staring at the grim island. Though no ships drifted by its beaches, no signs of human or animal could be seen, a presence hung over the entrance of the blackened mouth of a cave that came into my view. As we grew ever closer to the mouth agape, a humming sound vibrated within my hands on the railing, through my body and into my ears, into my core, a distinct voice droning in deep whispers, speaking words unknown to me. A tongue foreign to any language I'd ever heard, but the message was clear: keep out. I jolt backward in shock and disbelief, nearly backing into Ajay. "Kari what is the matta?" He apprehensively calls in a near shout. "I look to my recently vibrating hands that were now still. "I," I listen for the buzzing murmurs, "You, didn't hear that? Feel that vibration?" Ajay looks down at me pitifully, and for the first time in my adult life I felt small, helpless. "Bootstrap tell me about the," he motions to his throat, mimicking the wounds that were painfully pressing into my shawl. I impulsively hide the markings doubly with my hand. "I know his intentions now, to tread lightly." 'That I can truly only depend on myself.' The sentiment did not seep anger as it had before. It was true, neither Bootstrap nor Ajay could be held accountable for my condition at all times, that was my responsibility alone. I would be on my guard until inhabited land lay underfoot.</p><p>"You are unsettled Kari, ya got every right to be," Ajay murmurs lowly, so that others don't hear. "Why don't you go rest a while, you can be sure he'll be gone. Leave the gold to Bill and me." I shake my head ardently, "That wasn't my nerves, it felt akin to a spirit." 'Like unfathomable fury.' I abandon my search for words when I am met with the same woeful gaze. He would attribute my ramblings to high-strung emotions. Ajay had good intent so I do not press him. Instead I study the isle once more, wafting toward the stern to get a better look. I graze the rail with my fingertips and steady my footing in an effort to feel the pulsations once more. I silence thoughts that arise, trying to cut through the hazy clouds, searching for the muffled voice and internally inquire: "What do you long for? What do you tell me?" I close my eyes and feel, connect through the bases of my feet and fingertips for a tremor, a response through feeling or sound.</p><p>"netsonkuilistli…"</p><p>A clear whisper of a voice with many pitches arose from within, as though it were a thought in my own mind, more so a deep sentiment aching to be released. "I don't understand," I furrow my brow, pondering the unfamiliar word over and over in my mind. "What does it mean? What can I do?" The vibration intensifies as I readily await an answer when a hand abruptly clasps itself on my shoulder, causing me to jerk in fright. "Steady now me siren," Barbossa's voice pulls me from the haze, back onto the Pearl. 'Damn it, what now?' I embellish a deep breath and clasp my hand over my heart, peering at him with a smile. "Hector, you startled me." He moves his hand to the small of my back, slightly pulling me closer to him. "There be no reason to be startled," his eyes take on a playfully wild gleam, "Unless yer seein' ghosts." I force a laugh and lean my back against the railing to face him, edging out of his covetous grasp. "No, but there is something about the island that seems otherworldly," I mimic his mystified look in jest, "eternal secrets lay inside." "Aye, he leans down to my ear in a whisper, "An' they be yearnin' to be uncovered." His snaky words cause the hairs on my neck to stand on end. I allow a coy smile to come to my lips and cast my eyes downward. 'How subtle.' I turn a wary glance back to the island, it was cowering over us now, seemingly holding its breath. "Do you," I consider my words carefully, debating whether to tell him about the clear, unearthly voice I had just heard. "Are you aware of the history behind this gold? It is Aztec for certain?"</p><p>"Aye," Barbossa ponders a moment and eyes Isla de Muerta with eager interest. "Though I don't be knowin' much of the historical details, I am certain that it were taken by the Conquistador Hernán Cortez himself, the pieces were snatched from the hand of the Aztec king, sendin' the empire into poverty and thusly leadin' to its ruin." "Ah," I nod, gravely imagining the downfall of an entire civilization at the hands of overseas tyrants. What immeasurable devastation the Aztec people had suffered. That unbeatable weight of pain and loss was surely unable to be silenced. I watch Barbossa's expression, his furrowed brow and solemn stare set on Isla de Muerta. He was withholding something from me. "Hector I," I put on an uneasy tone and lean close to him, lightly clutching his forearm to emphasize the gravity of my words. "Can I tell you something without it seeming far-fetched? You wouldn't mock?" He looks down at my unexpected touch and grazes my hand with his fingertips, returning his newly-pleased gaze to my disquieted expression. "I promise ner to make a mockery of yer words, Karina so long as I have breath to speak."</p><p>I feign a look of reassurance and deliberate what to reveal and withhold concerning the chilling utterance I had heard. "When you found me here a few moments ago I was listening…" I speak with my free hand, searching for a tangible way to describe what I had felt. "Isla de Muerta's presence, it is heavy, do you feel it? Well, anyhow I felt this… sensation, like a being was trying to speak to me, and I heard its voice." Barbossa was captivated by what I had said, his hand tightened atop my own. "What did it say?" He sternly pressed, a slight fear behind his eyes. "That's the thing I-"</p><p>"Revenge."</p><p>The thought came to me effortlessly, in the pit of my core I knew, without a doubt that this was the sentiment behind the unknown word the Entity had given me. I met Barbossa's eyes, determined to wrench to the surface any secrets he kept about this gold that lay waste to a vast empire. "Revenge. It was as clear as day, the voice spoke revenge." Barbossa's eyes widened, and he swiftly dropped my hand, causing me to back up against the rail in shock. "Superstitious wench," he spits, slicing the air with a crooked finger in anger. "What be this, hm?" He waves his hands emphatically closing in on me, "For just what purpose are ye attemptin' to muddy me mind with suspicion the moment we are set upon our journey's end?"</p><p>"Lower your voice." I evenly direct and fan my hands down in an effort to calm his temper, glancing about to make it known that several pairs of eyes were curiously falling on us. It was apparent he was hiding something, but that fact alone would need to satisfy me for now. "Perhaps I misheard," I gingerly caress his arm, striving to assuage the threat response my prying had caused. "I'm still adjusting to this life, you understand, to the role I am to play here. I admit I am unnerved at the sight of this desolate island in the middle of the sea, and could very well be hearing spirits that aren't there." This seems to calm him enough as the tension dissipates beneath my light touch. "If this arrangement is going to work, try to let down this wall of mistrust. I'm not plotting against you. What am I but at your mercy?"</p><p>My pleading eyes poured out onto his own which melted his hardened countenance. 'Easier and easier.'"Yer correct in inferin' that ye have not yet earned my trust." "You've not given me the opportunity-" "Hush now," he presses a finger to my lips, silencing me. "Ye wish to prove yer loyalty under my command?" I nod vigorously, shaking free of the restriction. 'Lord, let whatever it is be within reason.' He begins scaling a nail down my neck, loosening the shawl around the concealed markings. I allow it, priming my ears for the charge he would give me to gain his trust. "Ye will join myself and the crew in recoverin' the gold of Cortez, surround yerself with riches beyond yer fancy," having slackened the garment's hold, it dropped to the deck, revealing for all to see the wounds of his infliction. I don't move a muscle, he wanted my humiliation, my ownership on display for his men to behold. I would play the part of having submitted, waiting for the day I would be rid of this hell, the day I'd know for certain what has become of Jack. "An' ye will touch ner a piece of it." He implores, marveling at the deviant adornments along my collarbone.</p><p>'What? Nothing? He's got to be joking…' I brush the thought aside and put on my most perplexed look. "I will do this if it pleases you, but to take nothing? I intend to pay my upkeep, surely you will allow me some fortune to maintain myself?" 'Or to escape with…' Barbossa chuckles knowingly, "If our 'arrangement' so ye say is to be amicable, ye also must also trust me to uphold me promise to indulge yer every want an' need." I see through his crocodile-like smile and sweetened words. Under the guise of protection, this request was a means of control. I nod, mulling his words over in my mind. 'I see…' He wants me to have no measure of wealth to support myself with if I attempt to run off. I meet his fixed gaze, preparing to vow that no gold of Isla de Muerta would touch my hand, to lie through my teeth as I was preparing to pick the pocket of every careless fool on this god-forsaken ship.</p><p>"You would see to everything?" I ask in disingenuous relief, my eyes widened as though a weight had been lifted from my chest. As though feeding and housing me was an immensely grueling task. He grazes his thumb lightly over the blemishes and affirms, "Ye won't have a care in the world, so long as ye keep to our accord." I clutch his wrist in my hand as though comforted, but was truly prying his eager hand away from my smarting neck. "Then what need have I for riches? I promise to do as you ask." I cast my eyes downward and allow myself to blush, "Though I am grateful that you grant me the ability see what lies within the island," I flit a pining look toward him, "to see you claim its contents as your own." He sucks in breath and visibly restrains any further action that his men would see, but leans in and whispers, "Oh, I be plannin' to do just that."</p><p>"Cap'n, are we prepared to land?" Bootstrap interjects and I glance behind me to see that Isla de Muerta is a mere fifty-some yards away if I were to guess. I release my grasp on Barbossa's arm and shoot Bootstrap a thankful look. He vaguely nods as Barbossa strides to the center of the ship, confidently shouting orders to the crew, giving direction to their frenzy. "What comes now?" I inquire as Bootstrap begins inspecting crewmates preparing to anchor. "We board a few rowboats and have a look inside." He hurls a wooden rope ladder over the side that is identical to the one I boarded when first arriving on the Black Pearl. I edge closer to him, keeping my voice low. Bootstrap continues surveying the goings-on, but I know he is intently listening while trying to minimize any suspicion that may arise from our conversation. "He doesn't want me taking a damn thing, says he'll care for my 'every need.' And I know there will be eyes on me." He scoffs, "Scheming bastard. What do you need from me?" "I've been purse-picking for years. In case I can't, spare a few for me? Enough for a meal and a bed on Tortuga. After that I'll make my way." He nods slightly and strides toward a group of crewmen casting rowboats into the sea.</p><p>Aware of my idleness, I scan in search of a task, though I'd have no clue how to go about it. "Eh Kari. Sit here wid me." Ajay calls by a rope ladder a few feet from me and motions for me to descend. I nod hopefully, crossing by scurrying crewmates and taking his outstretched arm to steady myself as I swing a leg over the side of the ship. "What the first mate want?" Ajay whispers as we squeeze onto a rung of the descending ladder. "Well, I told him how I heard that voice you know? That seemed to make him angry. I suspect he's not told the crew something about this gold." Ajay clicks his tongue, "You get the crew spreadin' stories of ghosts his first week as captain? That ought ta make him angry." I shake my head, "No, there's something else I just know." Ajay shrugs and holds onto my hand while I step into a rowboat and take a seat. Ajay follows suit and begins rowing with Jaheim opposite of us. I nod in greeting, and continue my conversation with Ajay knowing that our words were safe.</p><p>"I already informed Boostrap, but he had me swear not to touch a single piece of treasure, but I'm not to worry, he'll take care of me." I spit in sarcasm, it felt so freeing to speak my mind. "What I tell ya? Barbossa want everything Jack have, he took his boat out from unda him, and now you." He chuckles, "You are provin' much more difficult I take it from the shoutin' and the crashin' I heard this morning." I shake my head at the realization. It was clear as day. Barbossa didn't want my affection to validate his position on the Pearl, he had the crew's respect and obedience for that. He sought to conquer everything Jack held dear, the jealousy ran that deep. I would need to alter my strategy at this discovery. "It wasn't exactly a civil discussion." I smirk. "Don't worry," Ajay urges, "we got you covered wid the gold.</p><p>We row in silence inside the mouth of Isla de Muerta. It swallows us in darkness, cragged edges snuffing out the hazy light of the clouded day. Blackness engulfs the many rowboats, I could only tell their existence by the sounds of excited chatter and the slap of oars against shallowing sea. I l solemnly stare ahead as a heavy impression overtook me, one that echoed sorrow and warranted respect. We were so close to the side of the cave that I reach out and graze its roughness with my fingers, feeling for the reverberations I had felt onboard the ship. Nothing. Not a ripple or sound. I cautiously lean over the side of the rowboat, straining to catch a glimpse of sparkle or shine from below the shallow waters. "See anythin'?" Ajay whispers and peers over the curve of our small vessel. "Not a thing." I slump backward in defeat. With a sharp scratch, Jaheim had lit our little world aflame with a torch, illuminating us in an orb of glowing yellow light. "Look closa." Ajay's face shimmered with anticipation and specks of fire light as he watched me take a second look at the now translucent water.</p><p>Gold. Yellow-bronze jewels, the shallow seabed was dotted with vibrant colors, gems glittering mischievously half hidden under muddied sand. I reach my hand below and swirl my fingers through the velvety pool, the temptation to dip below the surface and take just one- "Enh," Ajay clicks his tongue and shakes his head in warning. I look back to him and glance around us. Many of the other rowboats were lit by torches or oil lamps; all was made visible now. 'Damn, had I known such things were down there, I would've gotten them in the dark…' I return my impatient hand to my lap, noting Pintel's unflinching stare on my near misstep from the next dinghy over. I flash him a perplexed stare. "A girl can be curious you know." I snap. My disdain for that miniscule little weasel had been brewing since his willingness to hold a knife to my neck in the dead of night as only cowards do. "Watch it Karina. You're only alive cause a your position as the captain's whore." His beady eyes shown wide with contempt. "Eh, what's de problem?" Ajay braced himself, rocking our boat sharply. I hold a hand up, halting him from displaying his friendship to me. "Oh I believe you've filled that position a long time ago." I retort with a curt smile. "Why I oughta…" He growls beneath his breath, face reddening with irritation.</p><p>I snap him a wink and gaze forward as our boat halted against a firm sandbank. I swung both legs over the side of the dinghy and lightly sploshed in the cavern. I wade in the shin-deep waters and graze the valuables strewn about on the sandy floor with my toes. 'So close…' I steady myself by grasping a jagged snarl of black rock and begin surveying the layout of the cave. Gold was haphazardly scattered about as though its value were dust. Loads of it. This hollow tunnel could be mistaken for the belly of King Midas. My head stopped searching abruptly when I saw it. An immense sealed chest lay atop its rocky pedestal, as though the earth itself had reached a hand up from its core, receiving the gift of ancient secrets from the kingdom of the Aztec. Barbossa was determinedly edging his way to the precipice of the stone foundation, hands eagerly outstretched to pillage the innards of the chest.</p><p>"achiualoki…"</p><p>Energy hummed through the cragged pillar into my fingertips, through my arm and down into my belly. I dare not move a muscle, but listen intently. The sensation reached center, where an intuition dawned on me. 'Forbidden'. 'You wish to be untouched?' I speak to the Entity with my mind's voice. 'Who are you?'</p><p>'iteouan in tlakah.'</p><p>I furrow my brow, straining for the reception of its meaning. 'Gods of the People.' My heart began pounding in my ears. 'You are the Aztec gods?' I lower my head respectfully. 'Why do you speak to me?' I am engulfed in a whooshing sound, swirling gray before me, behind me. I have wrapped my arms around the jagged rock but slightly open my eyes, peering into the mist. Hazy figures begin coming into view. Men adorned in metal armor cowering over Ancient Americans, forcing a people unknown to me to bow, of gold pieces falling through the fog into the lustful hands of the silver men. Of a land dried up, desolate, a dark-haired tan beauty wailing over a still child. Of the chest from before, only it was opened. The thieving hands sweeping piles of gold from it, into their bulging pockets. The moon emerged from behind a cloud, so bright that I covered my eyes with my hand. Moans echoed in my mind, unmistakably of the armored travelers. Their figures become visible, their hands first, mangled with the decay of death, though their movement was of life. Their faces taut as bones, a scream never ceasing from their throats as they beheld their own hands with terror.</p><p>I am dropped back into my body and I snap open my eyes. Familiar pirates scoured along the cave floor like rats seeking a crumb of bread. I gulp swelling tears from the apparition and appeal to the Voice. 'Your people were stolen from you, your land exploited. I cannot imagine such sorrow.' No answer. The pirates began circling the elevated rock, Barbossa prying open the chest with his hands. 'Don't…' I stop the plea before it leaves my throat, recalling Barbossa's displeasure at my inquisition. 'How can I stop them? What will become of them?'</p><p>"Gents," Barbossa booms to the throng of awaiting brigands, "After months of preparin' for this moment," he circles the chest, rousing his followers with emphatic gestures and passionate declarations. "Of sufferin' at the mercy of Calypso's fury under the swelterin' heat of the sun," "Aye!" A chorus of voices affirms. "Of taking back what is ours from the hands of the weakling formerly known as Jack Sparrow," Laughter and shouts echo throughout the grotto. I clench the sharp rock to steady the seething rage that smoldered within me at hearing those treasonous words spoken against Jack, fighting back every instinct to strangle that worthless devil where he stood. "Though it were not entirely my command that has led us to this abounding conquest." Confused whispers buzzed throughout the cavern. 'He wouldn't.' Barbossa smugly looks to me and extends an arm, motioning for me to come stand beside him. "Miss Lemaire," Dozens of heads turn to look at me. "I beg of ye… to allow us humble pirates to relay our most sincere gratitude, for naught a bit of these good fortunes would have come to pass had it not been for you."</p><p>Hoots and whistles resounded along the walls, the crew no doubt were showing their thanks for my addition of the map to Isla de Muerta. But that wasn't what Barbossa was referring to. He was subtly implying that I was partly responsible for Jack's death. 'How dare he…' The worst part was that I did in fact carry that guilt. The thought that my choice in joining the Black Pearl's venture escalated the mutiny and Barbossa's takeover sat in my gut like a boulder. 'Get ahold of yourself, he's trying to make you break.' I smile in a thin line and take a slight bow. The entertainer I had trained myself to be would be returning often I imagine. "You are far too liberal with your praise, Captain Barbossa." I challengingly call over the murmurs of the crew. "All recognition for this successful voyage belongs to you." "Aye!" favorable roars sounded unanimity. I place a hand on my hip and stand firmly unmoving. "Very well," he snips evenly, discerning my hidden meaning but allows it to dispel between us as the crew assumed I'd paid him the highest compliment.</p><p>I'd learned very early that one of the few things I must avoid in my dealings with Barbossa was to attack his pride in front of subordinates, he'd have my head for that. But to fully give in to him may also lead to my demise. I knew that once the last piece of Jack's possessions was fully within his grasp I would be useless to him, easily discarded once no question of my loyalty remained. So I would tread a fine line, just out of reach until I was to escape. Looming silence overcomes the air, and the focus returns to the hidden gold. Barbossa's hands grip the sides of the chest as he prepares to wrench it open.</p><p>The vibration enters me with strength with each pull on the latch. I clutch my chest as I felt the gods fervently resisting the disturbance.</p><p>'kateh maseualtikkeh…' The Voice of many pitches nearly shouted within me. It was a question. I knew it immediately. "Are they worthy?' I gasp for air as the force in my chest tightly constricts my breath. I gaze out at the faces of the crew, ugly covetous mutineers, eyes ablaze with the possibility of riches, led by their wicked captain, a mimic of the silver men of old, with one final yank he had it- 'There are very few who could be less.'</p><p>'netlaikoltilistli' The word surged with loud searing hatred, over and over it bellowed within, I couldn't tell if it came from my own heart as well. 'Greed.' The chest sprang open and wind howled from the back of the cave, whining its release into the opening, out into the world beyond. Pirates scattered past me like ants, as Barbossa triumphantly flung sparkling pieces into the air to eager hands. I stayed planted where I was, dropping to my knees in the still water, the absence of the force left me winded. I listen for a voice of the gods, something to prepare me of what would come. Silence. My body shook with fear at the uncertainty. 'What have I done?'</p>
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<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Awaiting the Night</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Alright guys, this one's a tad shorter but it's got some vital info for the next chap. The next should be quite a bit longer as lotssss is comin here in the next lil bit. Yall know what this curse entails so we will be seeing some developments with that. Thanks yall and see you in the next xx</p><p>Some jams:<br/>Sexy Saiidi- Drumspyder<br/>Kefi-Harald Kindseth<br/>Smile of the Sun God- Xavier Quijas Yxayotl (for what's coming)</p>
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    <p>“Ah,” I grasp my neck and wince as the welts on my neck burned anew. I feel hollowness, drained of the merciless hate of the Aztec gods swirling inside, no trace of the adamant force remained within. It made me wonder if the voices had ever been real. I lift my head and gaze to the plundered chest, tossed on its side, but still remaining on its earthen pillar. I gradually stand, following a draw toward it that I couldn’t explain. The men rushing around me paid no attention as I crossed the shallow waters onto damp sand, finding balance as I float up the incline closer to the fallen chest. Once I’ve neared the leveled peak, I kneel over the chest, gingerly grasping its sides and place it upright. As I set it to rights, I hear a rolling sound within it, unmistakably that of a single coin. ‘They must’ve missed one-’ My heart began pounding as I peer inside the deep coffer and immediately behold a striking gold piece in the center, seemingly planted there. The coin stared back at me with the threatening face of a skull with bared teeth and lifeless eyes that gave rise to dread for whomever should look upon it. ‘Go on,’ My mind urged, but my hands firmly clamped onto the solid edge of the coffer, the words of the gods resounded in my ears. ‘Forbidden.’ </p><p>I glance around me, to the men enlivened with the treasure of stolen land in their insatiable clutches, tossing it back and forth as if its worth were nothing. I pinch my eyes shut and breathe deeply, I needed a means to live, to get out of here before I’m killed or worse. My escape was right in front of me, but I couldn’t take it. Jack’s face appears in my mind unprompted, I see him wandering along an abandoned cay, with no help from anyone. The image was so clear, it felt near impossible to resist the temptation to take just one, to save the only remaining family I had left- ‘Not this way,’ I shake my head and release my white-knuckled grasp, settling onto my sit bones. I would respect the gods’ insistence to be left in peace; I would get by without forsaking a fallen empire, another opportunity would arise. </p><p>“I must say, ye’ve left me impressed.” Barbossa’s smug voice drew me from my internal resolve. I suddenly remember his request that no gold of Isla de Muerta would touch my hand. He was hovering over me; he’d likely seen what had just transpired. ‘Don’t grovel, you touched nothing…’ I stay silent and fix my gaze on the single coin, my hands calmly placed in my lap. “Eight hundred and eighty-two pieces I myself counted from this chest. We took em all save for one.” He bends down level with me and places a hand on the small of my back, following my gaze to the menacing stare of the coin. “See, that particular piece I had a purpose for, it were to test the one who declares her loyalty to me.” I gulp and breathe composure into my reply. “Eight-hundred and eighty-two pieces were never to touch my hand. You had my word.” “Ah, words be naught but weapons of deception, an’ ye have been trained in the art.” He reaches into his pocket and retrieves an identical gold piece and flashes it in front of my eyes. I follow it’s contour as he rotates it in his hand, light from the torches catching its shine with brilliance. The hum resounded the more I lost myself in its unrelenting glare, murmurings wisping their way to my ears, though with much less potency than before. </p><p>‘xitlakuepa axkanyoualtika…’</p><p>“As I beheld yer struggle to resist that desire, to abate the instinct no man under my command were capable of, I were able to discern yer fidelity to be true.” I shut my eyes to Barbossa’s saccharine words, straining to listen for the meaning of the whisper. </p><p>‘Return tonight.’ </p><p>“What need have I for riches?” I breathe the repetition from before and face him with a knowing glance, silencing the whispers as I turn away from the gold piece. Return tonight? How would that be possible? “What happens now?” I ask. Barbossa ponders, turning his attention to his men, meticulously watching them pile treasures onto the rowboats. He returns the gold piece back to his trouser pocket. “Well that would be loadin’ as much of the plunder as the Pearl can hold.” I look around the cavern, there was no way the ship could bear all this loot unless the goal of floating lost its importance. “I think you should utilize this space,” I observe, wracking my brain for a way to buy some time. “You surely won’t be able to fit it all onboard the ship, and the island is deserted. You can use it as a hideaway to store your bounty. No one would know of its location but you.” He was considering it I knew, internally weighing the risks and benefits in his mind. “It would be an opportunity wasted…” He mutters. I lean toward him, “I’ll tell you something else that would be an opportunity wasted,” I motion toward the crew hard at work hauling heaps of gold and beginning to strenuously row back to the Pearl. “You should show your appreciation to your men, we’ve been at sea for weeks, they’ve been breaking their backs for this voyage. If nothing more, this place is perfect for a little soiree.” I smile playfully. ‘So you can all drink yourselves into oblivion and I can figure out what the hell is going on.’ “What better way to assert your new position as captain than with gold and booze?” I held hope behind my eyes as his gaze met mine, I knew we would not be leaving Isla de Muerta this night. </p><p>“Captain Barbossa,” Ajay calls from below, “A lot a the treasure won’t fit, we load too much and the rowboats start to sink. What ya want us ta do wid the extra?” He flashes a barely noticeable look of curiosity toward me before motioning to the crewmates struggling to stay afloat inside the rowboats packed to the brim with looted gold. Barbossa stands and saunters down the earthen slope. “Gents,” he bellows; the bustling immediately ceases, all were captivated by his forthcoming words. “There be a change of plan,” he strides over to Pintel who was attempting to hoist a heavy-laden dinghy away from the sandbank. He swiftly plants a boot into the small rowboat, halting its departure. “It has come my attention that though the Black Pearl be a vessel most sizeable, there be no way possible she can bear the sheer volume of our spoils.” Mumbles of affirmation bounce along the cave’s walls. I hold my gaze on Barbossa, holding my breath while awaiting his decision. </p><p>“Our softhearted guest has offered ye a proposition,” he gestures toward me, perched on the pedestal once holding priceless treasures of old, and the eyes of his supporters follow the motion. “That I have worked ye tirelessly, fer weeks on end ye have toiled, an’ that I outta show a proper thanks for yer aid in uncoverin’ this ample bounty.” He scoops a handful of coins from the dinghy and drops them back one by one, emphasizing the expanse of their newfound wealth. I understand now how he had roused these men to overthrow their captain, how he was sweet talking them reminded me of men at Mary’s trying to get me into bed. The crew uttered no sound, men looked to each other with confused, anticipative expressions. I flit my gaze to Ajay who returns it with a furrowed brow. “An’ so, the lady proposes that tomorrow we haul off as much as our barge can hold, tomorrow we set out to spend the fruits of our plunder, but we shall be returnin’ to Isla de Muerta yet. Tonight we make revelry. What say ye?”</p><p>A chorus of cheers resounds within the cavern, causing the shallow waters to ripple. As soon as they’d snapped into action, the pirates dropped their tasks and filled their hands with glittering treasures once more, their gluttonous laughter replacing the previous expectant silence. I watch as Barbossa calls Ajay toward him and whispers something in his ear. Ajay nods obediently, obviously taking some kind of order. I needed to get down there. I glance once more to the foreboding skull face, internally verbalize my resolve to return that night, and gently close the chest. I rise and carefully edge down the slope toward Ajay who was now alone. “What’d he ask of you?” I urge in a low voice, glancing sideways in search of prying ears. “He say to go back to the Pearl and bring as much rum as the rowboat can hold. We going to spend the night here.” I breathe a sigh of relief, I would hear the gods’ request, if they had one for me. They may even be able to direct me toward Jack. Of course I could say none of this to Ajay, he hadn’t believed me when I heard the voice the first time. </p><p>“I need to ask a favor of you Ajay.” I motion him to a more secluded patch of sand behind the jagged rock where I had seen the apparition. “Anythin’ Kari.” Ajay leans toward me apprehensively, awaiting my appeal. “The night they marooned Jack, Bo’sun held a cloth soaked with opiate to my face to tranquilize me, I’ve no doubt about it. Do you know if there is any more onboard?” Ajay’s expression becomes pensive as he searches the ship’s stores with his mind. “It would most likely be in a vial, with clear coloring.” “I believe I seen it,” Ajay deliberates, glancing skittishly at the slightest sound. “What ya need that stuff for?” I hate to lie to him, I had no friends to spare, but telling him I had heard the voice of the Aztec gods wasn’t an option. I sigh hesitantly and tilt my head, motioning to Barbossa who was raucously laughing with a mob of his devoted followers. “He has been tame since that night, somewhat amorous but tame. I fear that once a few bottles of rum are added to the mix, it won’t be that way. The same goes for the others, you understand?” It wasn’t a lie, being the only woman onboard a ship of men was vexing, and with the pistol beneath my pillow onboard the ship, I couldn’t help feeling more vulnerable.</p><p> Ajay nods somberly, “I understand Kari, but,” he hesitates, “you know not to add so much, not enough to kill him?” I gently grasp his arm reassuringly, “I’ve used it before many times, I would only use enough to put him to sleep, I promise you I won’t kill him.” Ajay’s look shifts from fear to determined resolve. “I will bring it for you, just don’t use it on me.” I can’t help but chuckle, “Wouldn’t dream of it.” </p><p>“Ajay, what ye waitin’ for? Get movin’ ye filthy bilge rat!” Barbossa booms toward us, causing Ajay to jump to attention. “Aye, sir.” He quickly jumps into a dinghy and sets off toward the Pearl, leaving me alone to pray he finds that opiate. “My apologies,” I meet Barbossa’s suspicious glare with a saccharine smile. “I was talking his ear off about that excellent wine you offered me. I made a special request he bring it along.”</p><p>Time drags on for what seems like hours, I’d kept busy searching for gems underfoot in the shallow pools, conversing with a few men of my acquaintance, trying to gauge if any of them felt even the slightest bit guilty for leaving Jack to the elements. As I learn the perimeter of Isla de Muerta awaiting Ajay’s return, I find Bootstrap perched on a sandbank a good distance from the rest of the men. He was turning a gold piece over in his hand, a small pile of identical coins stacked beside him in the sand. “Everything alright?” I ask uneasily, his discontented face becoming clear in the torchlight. He whips his head toward me in surprise, holding the gold still. I take a seat beside him, leaving a good distance from the gold in case Barbossa should think I was poised to steal. “It don’t sit right with me taking this gold, Karina. Disturbing this island, there’s something about it…” He shakes his head, words failing him. </p><p>I nod, “It feels bigger than ourselves?” I eye him, debating whether I should tell him what I’d heard and seen. “Yes,” he mutters, examining the gold piece once more. “Tonight, once his highness and the rest are asleep. Meet me up there,” I motion to the chest. “There’s something I need to show you.” He nods slowly, curiously studying my sober gaze. “Oi, booze is here!” I hear Regetti shout as Ajay’s rowboat comes into view. Bootstrap and I stand, waiting for the mob of pirates that began to form around the sandbank nearest Ajay to disperse. I watch as the men emerge with one or two bottles in hand each. “Oh lord,” I ponder whose bottle I should try to slip a few drops of opium into, though with that much alcohol intake it’s a wonder the lot of them wouldn’t be dead by morning. Ajay edges over to Bootstrap and I, trying to ease any suspicions by speaking with a few men in his path. “Do you have it?” I speak in almost a whisper as he nears us. “I find this,” he stands directly in front of me, blocking any onlooker’s view as he slips a cool glass bottle into my open hand. I tuck the vial into my skirt hem, and Ajay grasps my wrist firmly. “Not too much.” “Karina,” Barbossa calls, having sat with a cluster of his men at the base of the chest. I snap my attention toward them in anticipation. “Let us have a taste a that wine.” Hoots and whistles resound from his circle, and I force a smile. “Coming,” I call in a nauseatingly lilting tone. I meet Ajay’s warning look and reassure him. “Not too much.”</p>
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<a name="section0020"><h2>20. Time will Tell</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Alright guys, hope this provides some insight into why the gods have chosen to interact with Karina. I've decided to split this chap into two separate ones, as I think this divide will be a more natural flow. We've introduced some elements of the curse here, but the full effect will be shown over time. See yall here soon xx</p><p>Side note *spoiler for the chap* since Karina and Bootstrap know very little about the curse, his offering does not suffice as he didn't offer gold alongside his blood, that's why we need his youngin later on. </p><p> </p><p>Music I've had on repeat:<br/>Naga- Tribal Dub Remix- Makyo, Solace<br/>Volchok- Theodor Bastard (during the apparition of her family)</p>
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    <p>“And that’s when I said, I don’t recall hearing that the king of England goes around wearing assless chaps.” The men explode with laughter at my exaggerated tale of a man at Mary’s I once courted who claimed to be King George the Third in the flesh. We were relaxing, I watched them for hours, observing these novel pirate festivities of exorbitant drinking, pub dancing, and what I only could assume to be wrestling. I tilt back my glass, polishing off my second helping of wine and clumsily lean in toward Regetti. “I like this stuff don’t you?” Most of the crew were circled about the pilfered chest, half sitting half lying down, gold pieces and jewels strewn carelessly beneath our backs. Several members of the crew exchange glances and snicker at my blundering lack of grace. Five years working in a winehouse and they truly believed I was this drunk after just two glasses. ‘Bunch of fools.’ “Now, now yours is turnin’ up empty.” Pintel drunkenly points to my emptied glass which brings my attention to the dry cup in his other hand. </p><p>“Well look at that,” I flip my glass upside down and give it a slight shake, feigned disbelief in my expression. “How unfortunate,” I sigh with near theatrical discontent and slump into a reclined position, weight on my propped elbows. I glance toward Barbossa, all splayed out like an Arabian sultan atop a throne of gold pieces and empty bottles. “We best not be havin’ that…” He declares and attempts to sit up, near empty wine bottle in hand. “No, no.” I amble to stand as he is overcome by wooziness at the excessive drink. ‘Damn, do these pirates put it away.’ “I shall fill yours for a change, how’s that?” I fumble toward him and snatch the bottle from his hand, “Gives me a chance to stretch my legs.” I point to Pintel’s empty glass and flash him a coy smile. “Let’s have it.” </p><p>After collecting six other goblets, I make my way to Ajay’s rowboat that held what was left of the booze. Out of sight, I slide the small vial from my skirt hem and slip several drops into each goblet before filling them with either wine or rum. I lift a glass to my nose and sniff for any hints of sweetness that would give away the drug. Slipping the vial back into its hiding place, I round up the glasses and return to the circle of prostrated drunkards, plastering an eager-to-please smile on my face. “Here you are,” I hand overflowing cups to Pintel and Regetti, who eagerly begin gulping them down. ‘That’s it…’ I make sure Bo’sun accepts one as well, his loyalties perplexed me, but I couldn’t risk him being left alert. “Hmph,” he grunts, giving me a suspicious glare as he reluctantly plucks the cup from my hand. I return the two glasses to men I hadn’t learned the names of. I’d only offered to fill them as they looked the most hardened, heavy drinking alone would most likely not put them out. </p><p>“And lastly,” I swivel toward Barbossa with embellished avidity. “For our most competent leader, who has already demonstrated exemplary success on this, his first voyage as captain of the Black Pearl. On my behalf as solely a visitor, I thank you.” The men holler hearty, drunken “ayes” as I nimbly lower myself before Barbossa. I sit on my knees, pinching the stem between my fingers and offer him the glass, swirling the scarlet red concoction to diffuse any remaining opiate. He bends to accept the drink and eyes me with a mix of pride and yearning. “I be deeply humbled by yer amiable words, me siren,” he drones, voice heavily laden with alcohol. “Though it be not becomin’ a host to partake before me guest has had her fill.” He flits a wrist up, encouraging me to drink first. ‘Shit.’ “Oh I couldn’t-“ “An’ we offa her da best, eh?” Before I could stumble through a protest, Ajay interjects from where he sat and tosses me the wine bottle I had left by the dinghy. </p><p>Laughter resounds as I amplify a look of wide-eyed surprise at the size of the bottle. “If you insist,” I tip it back and gulp the last few swigs, reacting as though its last drops were a pint. “Oh,” I stagger forward, extending my arm out just inches from Barbossa’s face, his lecherous expression became clear at my vulnerable state. ‘Just take it you damned fool.’ “I’d say I’ve had my fill,” I squeeze out between hysterical chortles. Barbossa grasps the goblet from my awaiting hand and turns it back. I carefully watch as he drains its contents and tosses the hollowed glass behind him. I roll back onto my knees, glancing to Pintel and Regetti. Pintel was already lying flat on his back, eyes shut and mouth agape. Regetti was staring at his empty glass, a dazed expression hung from his slackened face, as though a thought had never before entered his mind. </p><p>“Mmm,” I hum and close my eyes, slowly relaxing onto my side, slackening my movements to feign slumber. I hear Barbossa chuckle and feel him sit upright. ‘Oh god.’ It shouldn’t be long now before the drug takes effect. I hold still, not allowing tension to come to my limbs. His hand grazes my upper arm and travels to my neck, his nails trace the dulling splotches. “If so much as a finger be lain on her this night, I’ll have yer throats, all o’ ye.” Affirmative murmurs trickle by my ears following the stern warning. ‘Someone doesn’t like to share his playthings’. He removes his hand, and I hear shuffling followed by the dulling of light I could sense through my closed eyelids. They were dousing the torches and lamps. I strain my ears as the slight scraping of movement fades, and the cave is shrouded in darkness once more. </p><p>I snap my eyes open and squint to regain my sight. One torch was left lit on the opposite side of the cave; it didn’t help much from where I lay. I gingerly sit up, breathing to calm the heartbeat pounding in my ears. I hear a snort and jerk backward, startled. It came from the direction where Pintel lay, so I creep toward it on hands and knees until I faintly see his prostrated figure sound asleep. I hover over him and snap my finger in his ear to be sure he was dead to the world. Nothing. ‘Ingrate.’ I slowly rise to a standing position and step over the other slumbering men, waving my arms in front of me in hopes of reaching the incline leading to the chest. </p><p>Earth touches my fingers and I edge upward, feeling for the chest. A sound echoes mere feet away and I freeze where I stand. “Karina?” I make out Bill’s voice and sigh in relief. “Bootstrap?” The sound grows slightly louder as it becomes clear footsteps. “You two are gonna get us killed.” I whip around and look downward where the other voice came from. Ajay was sitting upright, fearfully watching us grow nearer to the chest. “Just watch out for us alright?” I plead and gently pull Bootstrap’s arm toward the coffer. As we reach the flattened level, I feel the solid closure of the chest, and dig my fingers into the crevice. I lift it open slowly so that it does not creak, and peer inside. “What are we looking for?” Bootstrap crouched beside me, fear sneaking into his voice. “You’ll see.” I reach my fingers into the deep blackness, and feel smooth wood meet my touch. I slide my fingers over the base until I graze a cool metallic texture. My eyes grow wide as I lift the coin from below. </p><p> I revel in the touch of the Aztec gold for the first time, holding it between my thumb and forefinger in front of Bootstrap and I. Whispers drift their way from the gold piece and the torch flickers at a sudden gust of wind. “Kari…” Ajay sharply utters in fright. “Sh,” I look to Bootstrap, his eyes are wide and mouth slightly open, pale terror frozen on his face. “You heard that?” He slightly nods, never taking his eyes from the coin. It glowed, though no light reflected from it. “I’m here,” I voice aloud so Bootstrap could hear. “I’m listening.” </p><p>‘Karina Lemaire.’ The voice of many pitches vocalized with unwavering clarity. I gasp; they had never uttered my name before. I swallow the trepidation threatening to escape my throat. “I’m here,” I repeat. “How do you know my name?” ‘Your father…’ Though the words being articulated were of the Aztec language, their meaning became known to me instantly. I suppose the connection was strengthened by the tactile link between the gold and myself. “My father?” I furrow my brow in confusion, “He meant to make voyage here, but,” I bite back welling tears. “He’s dead.” </p><p>Gray mist overtakes me as before; my surroundings dissipate into nothingness. The apparition is stronger than before, as if the strength came from my memory. I rock side to side onboard a ship, the waves sharply slapping against the sides. My father’s figure strides past me, his tall frame knelt over a map. The map to Isla de Muerta as whole. “I’m telling you they spoke to me. That island is sacred Jean.” My mother’s pale hand grasps my father’s arm, pulling him from the map’s contents. “I heard it as well, my love.” “I’ve seen the most awful vision, of the peoples of this gold, left destroyed by Spaniards of old. We must turn back.” My mother’s voice cracks as tears roll down her face. A canon booms in my mind’s eye, the faces of my parents become clear, so full of dread, I reach forward to touch them. “Those damned Brits.” My mother nearly cries. “Mommy!” A little girl toddles toward them, tears streaking her cheeks as she grasps my mother’s legs. “Hush now, Mermaid.” My mother looks to father solemnly, as they share something unspoken. “Captain Lemaire, Sir? Why are we turning back?” A youthful Jack calls from the deck. Father slaps the railing with his fist. “No, it is too soon.” A cry escapes his throat, causing the child to howl louder. “My darling,” he kneels level with her. With a brisk motion, he tears the map in two, pressing one of the halves into the child’s hands. “Never forget who you are. You are strong, you’re a pirate, a Lemaire.” He strokes the child’s cheek swiftly. “You must keep this safe. Can you do that for Papa?” She nods her head vigorously, becoming silent, like she was bracing herself for a child’s worst nightmare. </p><p>“Jack,” father bids, and the gangly teenager ambles up the steps toward the helm. “Sir?” “Never let it leave your sight,” he emphatically shoves the other half into Jack’s grasp. “You will watch over her, as her mother and I now cannot, you understand?” The frightened boy nods, motioning the child over to him with his hand. “I don’t give a damn who tells you otherwise, you’ll be the best pirate I’ve ever seen.” Canon fire shakes the apparition, with each blast, the grayness fades away, leaving behind the grotto full of slumbering pirates and the gold coin before my face.</p><p>I am shaking with silent sobs, Bootstrap’s hand clasps my shoulder as we sit in silence. So we had made it. I remember now. I had pushed the memory of my parents’ deaths so deep beneath my thoughts, I had forgotten how I begot the piece of the map. “They died,” I breathe through my quaking voice. “They gave Jack and I two halves of the map, to keep the British from finding this gold?” </p><p>‘Your father is a man of honor. And you, a woman of honor. Greed is not of your blood.’</p><p>“Ask them what will happen to us, now that the gold has been taken.” Bootstrap tremors at their clear declaration. “You are right,” I continue. “He was a man of honor, and I wish to honor you as he and my mother did. What will become of the men who have taken this gold? What will become of me?” I choke through emotion.</p><p>‘These men are governed by greed, their souls of gluttony and overindulgence. As of the silver men, it is a sickness that has no cure. A fate worse than death shall become them, until the blood debt has been repaid.’ </p><p>Bootstrap shook beside me, his breath quickening as the voice amplified in anger as the gods described the fate of the pirates surrounding us. “Blood debt?” He clambers backward away from the chest, and begins scrambling down the earthen mound. “Bootstrap.” I hiss, the noise would surely wake one of the crew. “No,” his voice quivers, “I have a son. I cannot be a part of this.” The hum intensifies through my fingers, and I return my attention to the glimmering gold piece, awaiting the meaning of the words to become known. </p><p>‘The fate of Karina Lemaire is this: age shall not befall you until the life you are destined to lead is restored. The markings you bear will remain until this destiny is fulfilled.’</p><p>The markings? A dull ache radiates from neck; I knew now the twin marks would be a reminder of this voyage for god knows how long. Tears brim my eyes as I know that I’ve been spared something god-awful. “Blood debt?” I flit my gaze to Barbossa, he was still, senseless from effects of the opiate. I spot the small glint of a knife jutting out from his belt. After carefully placing the coin inside the coffer, I descend the dune on hands and knees and hover over the blade. Never taking my eyes from Barbossa’s idle expression, I carefully slip the knife from its holster and return to the chest. </p><p>I kneel before it once more and prepare to settle a debt I felt remained on my behalf. ‘I wish to thank you for sparing my mother and father that day long ago. For sparing me this night. If ever I had a debt to be repaid, this is it. I am grateful to you and will aim to live the life I am destined as you have bidden.” I grasp the coin in my hand once more, holding it gingerly in my flattened palm. I poise the knife in my other hand and slice it across the skin, creating a red stripe in which shallow beads of blood began to trickle. I close my hand, covering the gold in my spilled blood, a sigh reverberates from the piece, they were accepting my offering; it seemed they were gathering strength from it. I release my hold on the coin, dropping it to the darkened depths of the coffer. The humming of energy ceases, as I knew that it was sufficient.</p><p>“Wait,” I vocalize aloud, forgetting the need for hushed tones. “Surely some of the men are honorable. Will you not spare the few who are?” I glance behind me to Bootstrap, who had witnessed the blood sacrifice I had given. “Please,” He begs, ambling toward me and seizing the knife from my hand. He crudely cuts open his own and presents the bloodied wound over the opening of the chest. “Spare me, I’m not one of them.” A whisper hums its final words; I felt the gods were leaving us, their fury momentarily quenched by my oblation. </p><p>‘It is too late for their kind. Only once the blood of each man is spilt, the debt repaid, then may this fate come to an end.’</p><p>I awake to footsteps dragging lethargically by my head as faint yellow streaks of sunlight peak through the cave’s mouth. Men were hauling as much gold as possible into the rowboats, or systematically planting some loot in piles along the perimeter of the cavern. I jolt upward as the memory of the night before replayed in my mind. After hearing the words of the gods, Bootstrap became frantic, desperately wanting to tell the others, to round them all up in the dead of night and offer a blood sacrifice to the gods. I convinced him that this would not be wise, perhaps the spilling of blood meant only through death would they be cured. Besides that who would believe us? We would sound raving mad, hearing voices from a treasure chest wouldn’t be enough of a reason for a pirate to give up his spoils and slice open his own flesh. What was done was done, only the crew could reverse their fates now, of their own will. Until we knew for certain whether only death would pay the blood debt, we decided it was better not to risk alerting the others. We laid the matter to rest, though Bill’s unsettled countenance lingered. I couldn’t blame him, he had an ancient curse hanging over his head. </p><p>“Oi, my head feels like somethin’ fell on it in the night.” Pintel grumbles nearby, easing a rowboat off the sandbank. “No kiddin,’” Regetti laments, aiding his companion, “I managed to fall asleep with a big ole rock stickin’ in me neck.” Regetti turns his attention to me, “How you farin’ this mornin’ Karina?” I stretch my arms overhead and rise to stand with great effort. “I’ve never slept so soundly.” The opium was potent, I’m glad of that. I had already used nearly half of the slim vial’s contents; I’d need to conserve the rest going forward. “Kari,” Ajay calls from the rowboat beside me. He tilts his head toward the seat across from him. “Time to go.” </p><p>We row back to the Black Pearl in silence, the sun beating high overhead. I was sure Bootstrap had spoken to Ajay of the chilling truth of the Aztec gold, but we say nothing of it. My friend seemed grim, but gravely accepting of the fate of the gods unlike Bootstrap had been. “Bill told you?” I barely speak above a whisper, as the other rowboats dotted the waters within reach. “Aye,” he doesn’t meet my eye or express emotion one way or another as we near the body of the ship, “I shoulda listened to you. Nothin’ to be done about it now.”</p><p>A rope ladder is swung over the side, and I board the Pearl once more. I pad toward my cabin, a sinking feeling grounding me to the ship’s planks. I slip past the silk shade and lay down on the bed, soreness from laying among rocks creeps into my bones. I pray for sleep, for the heaviness of this great secret to be dulled for at least a moment.</p>
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<a name="section0021"><h2>21. The First of the Unfeeling</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>*trigger warning: nonconsensual &amp; violent content*</p><p>On to the next one guys, we'll be in Tortuga once more.</p>
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    <p>I stare up at the ceiling, lying awake as the blackened waves fail to lull me into slumber. It’s been near two and a half weeks since the crew’s leaving of Isla de Muerta. And every moment of them I’d spent waiting, holding my breath for the fate worse than death to show itself. The “curse” as I’ve taken to calling it was either a silent one or late in its arrival, as nothing seemed to change. I had had time to envision every dreaded outcome imaginable, perhaps the men would burst out in boils or sores, lose their sight, or slowly descend into madness, unable to separate illusion from reality. And each day none of these horrors turned up true. I carefully watched Ajay, asking him if he felt any difference as the days at sea dragged on. His countenance had changed since we departed the island; he succumbed to a resolute air, seemingly feeling nothing, not even fear of the gods’ wrath. “It may be ya heard dem wrong. Don’t concern yaself,” he’d said one evening, “You just gotta worry ‘bout slippin’ away once we get ya back in Tortuga.”</p><p>Tortuga. That was where we were heading; the crew was hell-bent on squandering every ounce of their newly-acquired treasures. I shudder at the thought of what would happen once the Aztec gold was spent; perhaps the gods would return to me with a vengeance and forsake me once the gold was farther and farther dispersed throughout the Caribbean. I’d spent the past weeks nearly always in the confines my cabin, all at once my refuge and my cell. At first I’d feared the crew, of what they’d morph into once the curse took full effect. Days went by, and I feared them less as all appeared as ordinary, but I sensed my façade cracking from exhaustion. I felt out of control, a caged animal in the middle of the ocean pretending to take pleasure in my enclosure. I’d spent the hours accounting for weapons in my possession, cleaning and relearning the pistol, reading the dust-covered forgotten books to keep my mind from going idle. Practicing dance steps and exercising my body with the window ajar, allowing sunlight and water to splash me, to fill me with some welcomed sensation.</p><p>I’d managed, with Ajay’s help, to create a semblance of the fog tonic I’d used at Mary’s, from the assorted stores below deck. I’d brewed several bottles of it, storing them within the drawer beneath my wardrobe that contained my pistol, concealing them with folded clothing. Though I hadn’t had the need to use the fog tonic yet, I wasn’t naïve to my vulnerability as the only woman onboard a ship of mutinous brigands. I hardly feared the crew after I heard Barbossa’s warning that night spent at Isla de Muerta, that whomever should touch me would meet a swift punishment. I only truly feared Barbossa, that my façade of growing affection for him would shatter, revealing only the icy venom I felt for him beneath. He requested my presence only in the evenings, as the crew kept him busy with directing the voyage for the majority of the day. I dined with him in his quarters; learning his history as a sailor and playing the part of an intrigued listener. He did not push intimacy, I’d learned that my attentiveness to hear him, to marvel at his tales at sea and adventures often sufficed. I allowed my interest to seem deepened each night, planning on appearing as though I were unable to resist going to bed with him as soon as we’d reached Tortuga, then I’d be gone the first chance I got.</p><p>The time I hated most was night, like this one, where I lay awake in the dark with my dreaded fears of the curse, how I would escape, what had become of Jack. The apparition the gods had shown of my parents haunted me, their final moments replayed in my mind just before sleep would overtake me. What troubled me often was the question of why Jack thought to bring me back to their death place, to ignore their avid sentiment of keeping the gold of the Aztecs hidden, to pillage it despite their resistance. Perhaps he didn’t know, didn’t understand what my parents felt. Even if he had, Jack was a pirate. I couldn’t expect him to be a saint, but to plunder sacred fortune? The words of the gods returned to my mind in these moments. I was grateful, for if Jack had been with us, and his soul held even an ounce of greed, he would be awaiting whatever fate was looming over the heads of his crew.</p><p>I counted the cracks creasing the planks overhead, trying to conjure up a memory, something pleasant that would aid in my attempt at sleeping. My mind drifted to Port Royal, to Nina, the first recollection of my adoptive mother. “Why you cryin’ child?” Her voice clearly sounded in my head. I was distraught, not yet eight years old, having been given no choice but to serve a man who wore the colors of my parents’ killers. Her voice pulled my gaze from the sandy dirt of the road beneath, as she stooped beside me to pull me into her warm, protecting arms.</p><p>“Sh, sh…” I felt weight on top of me, my breath constricted by the pressure. I snap my eyes open, and make out the hazy figure of a man hovering over me, alcohol wafting from his exhaled breath. He was tightly straddled atop my supine body, jabbing my sides with his knees. I jerk and try to force my way to sit up, but the man clenches both wrists in his hand and twists them over my head, pinning me down with his weight. “Ah!” I cry in pain. “What the hell-“ he clamps a shaky hand over my mouth and shushes me once more. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he stammers “Please, Karina, I promise it won’t last a moment.” I hear a voice I barely recognize, and feel the nervous tremor of shaking hands trying to remove the sheets covering me.</p><p>No way in hell was this happening. I slide my leg between his straddled stance and push with all my weight, forcing him onto his back, grunting in pain through the bruising his knees were inflicting on my sides. I wrench free of his hold on my wrists and shake his weak grasp off of my mouth. “What are you doing?” I hiss through my teeth. “Barboosa’ll have you killed, you idiot.” “I’m sorry, I can’t feel a thing, for days, nothing. Everything is foggy, I’m even beginnin’ not to taste me meals.” He tremors through his words. “It’s been days since I had… and I thought with you I could.” He pauses and looks down toward his manhood. I scoff and shake my head in disbelief. “Give it a good yank in your own cot next time.” I snap at him and edge off of his body, putting distance between us. “No,” the wretch quivers and shakes his head. He was drunk, that much was clear. “I’m sorry, I need a woman’s touch, to know for sure that I can feel…” he awkwardly grabs for me and I clamber near the edge of the bed. He grasps my ankle and begins dragging me back as I grab hold of the rear bedpost. “Don’t!” I command, shouting this time to alert anyone within earshot. “Quiet, please.” He desperately pleads with me and fumbles his hands under my skirts. “Damn you, I said stop!” I kick with my free foot right into his head and knock him back. “Oh!” He presses a hand to his eye where my foot had jammed him, “Hush now, you bitch!”</p><p>My heart begins to pound as he struggles more combatively, yanking more aggressively on my legs. There was nothing left I could do. “Barbossa!” I shriek at the top of my lungs. “Barbossa, get your man out of here!” His hand flies toward me and stings my cheek, slamming me flat on the bed.” He climbs over me and presses his full weight on my body, determined to trap me beneath him and stifle my words. “I’ll strangle you where you lay if you make another sound.” He snarls into my ear. I cry into his muffled grip on my mouth and weakly struggle; stunned from the strike he had given me.</p><p>“What in god’s name be this racket-“ I hear Barbossa’s voice booming as he stalks into the cabin, a lit lamp in hand. I cry into the man’s clenched palm, making it clear what was being done. “Cap’n,” my assailant ambles backward into the bedframe, holding his shaking hands up in defense. “She called me into her bed!” He pleads, voice faltering. Barbossa stares wide-eyed, whipping his frenzied gaze from me to the intruder. He gives me a once-over; I hold my already swelling cheek and crumple my knees to my chest, bruises deepening on my ankles. “He came to me in my sleep,” I rasp through uncontrolled, weakened sobs. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, spare me!” The man cowers, making himself small.</p><p>Without a word, Barbossa lunges toward the man and grasps his throat, wrenching him to the ground, and drags his shrunken form from the cabin. The coward’s bulging eyes meet mine in the lamp light as he chokes anguished pleas through gravelly breath, his body writhing beneath the death grip. “Karina,” he croaks; I feel my body rise from the bed, floating of its own will; it felt as some primitive instinct to look upon a man I knew would soon be dead. I follow the captain and his prostrated subordinate, hovering by the door post leading to the deck. The moon shown bright and unnerving, illuminating the crew that had formed a semi-circle before their captain, awaiting what was to come. Barbossa hurls the recoiled weakling into the center of mob, bearing down on him with incensed rage. “Out with it!” He snarls, slamming his boot into the man’s gut. I wince as I hear the hard leather make contact with his flesh and the man’s pained cry all at once. I grimace in revulsion at the blood spattering from his mouth. Barbossa bends down and grabs a fistful of the man’s hair, jerking his slackened face level with his own. “Ye can’t possibly be tellin’ me that there be no justification to offer fer yer vile acts against the lady, hm?” When only whimpers meet his declaration, Barbossa releases the limp body to the floor, rising to give his back a swift kick as well. “Speak, ye mangy dog!” </p><p>“Karina, tell him.” The cur sputters, withdrawing backward into the mast. “Tell him you were callin’ me t’ your bed this night!” Hushed whispers rustle among the crew, several exchanging shocked looks. “Ye shall not aim yer address to her!” Barbossa booms. Blinding fury overtakes me as I storm past Barbossa, unwillingly squeezing the throat of the man who had tried to attack me. “You lie, you slimy little fool!” I shriek in anger, snapping the man’s head back. “You came to me in the dead of night spouting that your screw didn’t work, well,” I laugh in exhausted hysterics, “After I’m done with it I promise you it’ll never work again.” I feel strong arms tighten around me, lifting me up before I could inflict my chilling promise. It was Bo’sun, following Barbossa’s unspoken bid to remove me from the welp. </p><p>“Be what she says th’ truth, Sullivan?” Barbossa inquires, pacing before the man, an eerie calm overtaking his demeanor. Sullivan, I supposed the idiot’s name was, lets out a cry, slinking into the mast behind him. “Cap’n, you don’t understand. Fer days I’ve felt nothin,’ I can’t eat, I can’t sleep, nothin’ feels right. I’m starvin’ and I wanted a moment to feel somethin, anythin’ at all, I’m sorry!” He grovels, placing a cheek to the planks below him. “Oh, I be understandin’ plenty, so… Ye’ve felt starved fer a woman’s touch, an’ ye took it upon yerself to assail my guest onboard my ship.” Barbossa realizes evenly, gradually lowering himself eye-level with the cowering Sullivan. “Ye’ve not yet tasted the meanin’ of the word starved.” He sinisterly threatens and jabs him in the eye, snapping upright and turning his attention to Bo’sun. “Rope this filth to the mast.” He whips around toward his crew, causing them to flinch collectively. “If any of ye offer him so much as a morsel of food or drink, ye’ll be sufferin’ alongside him.” </p><p>A chorus of apprehensive “ayes,” resounds as crewmates ensnare the fear-stricken coward with rope, confining his body to the pole. Bo’sun releases me to aid the men, and I hurry toward my cabin, bile threatening to emerge from my gut. His cries pierce the air as I rush from the deck. “An’ gag him while yer at it.” Barbossa snaps. </p><p>I clamber through the swinging door of my cabin, my palm pressed to my lips, holding myself back from heaving. I run to the edge of the room, scramble to unlatch the window and vomit into the rocky sea below. I clamp onto the windowsill with white knuckles, steadying the dizziness in my head and panting in wearied, ragged breaths. I had grown comfortable. Hell, there wasn’t even a lock on my door. I squeeze my eyes shut, grasping to remember exactly how many days we had until we reached Tortuga. Four? Five? I may not have that many unscathed of a similar occurrence. I hear the door creak open guardedly as heavy footsteps edge closer to my arched form. I tighten my grasp on the windowsill, steadying resentment that was rising in my core much more potently than that which I had already expelled. </p><p>“Th’ matter has been settled. Th’ welp shant be comin’ round yer bed any longer.” Barbossa speaks in a low, definite tone, sauntering a few steps behind me. I huff and shake my head, as if all was well, my assault forgotten and a thousand thanks be bestowed upon his majesty. “I need a drink,” was all I manage to squeeze out in an even temper. I hear rustling and turn to see him revealing a glinting flask from his belt. “There ye are, go on,” he extends the flask to me and I snatch it from his hand. I tilt my head back and gulp down every drop of the liquor, the sharp sting of rum burning my throat all the way down. I drop my head down and breathe to still the burning as I press the flask into his chest. His eyes widen in amusement as he realizes I had drunk all of his liquor. “What?” I shake my head as he eyes my frame. “I’ve ne’er seen a thin lass such as yerself guzzle their rum th’ way ye have.” </p><p>“Well,” I bark, annoyance seeping through my less inhibited air, “when the situation calls for it.” I turn to latch the window, easing it shut as the seawater stripes my forearms. I sidestep by him to search for a cloth to dry my arms of the spray. I feel him eyeing me in silence. Irritation mixed with alcohol pricks my tongue as I begin shuffling over the desk’s contents for a rag. “Anything on your mind?” I don’t look up from my task, as I feel him come up behind me. “In earnest, I had thought ye’d have been more grateful,” He places a firm hand on my waist, indicating for me to stop my rummaging.</p><p>“Grateful?” The acrid word spills out of my mouth without thought, as I snap my body toward him defensively. I bare down on his gaze with an icy stare, shaking my head in amusement and disbelief. “Oh yes, grateful that it took a mere two weeks for one of your men to find his way into my bed, or perhaps grateful that he couldn’t finish the job?” I scoff, turning to continue my search. He grips my shoulder, jerking my body to face him, as I back into the desk. “Grateful,” he snips impatiently, fire beginning to burn behind his eyes. “Fer my swift actions to put a stop t’ Sully’s intrusion.” “Oh, come off it,” I meet his rising temper with equal force. “You only swooped in at the last possible second out of self-interest.” His angered expression intensifies and I’m encouraged by fanning the flame. “Mhm, no one touches your playthings isn’t that right?” He slams a fist into the desk below, causing me to jump. “Ye must be out a yer mind t’ berate th’ man who just saved ye from bein’ taken whilst ye slept.”</p><p> “Oh,” I scoff and press my palm to my head that was starting to spin; I was growing weak as the adrenaline from Sullivan’s attack began to fade. “You don’t understand.” I plead with him, my hidden truth spilling out of my mouth as quickly as I had drunk from the flask. “It’s not that you stopped him. I had a life, Barbossa. Before you and Jack-“ “An’ I don’t recall ye offerin’ up any rejections t’ my proposal th’ night I secured ye.” He bares down on me, his face mere inches from my own. “I had some semblance of control.” I shout in exacerbation, spitting every emotion I had been holding back for weeks. Fear, anger, resentment, all brought to light, filling the air between us. “And the moment I hand it over, I’m stricken in my bed. This sort of thing never happened when…” I stop myself, stammering at my near blunder. His eyes widen as he immediately discerned the meaning I had tried to conceal. “What’s the’ matter? Cat got yer tongue?” His tone evens to the disquieting one he had used while sentencing Sullivan to die by starvation. He slides his hand under my chin and holds firmly as I flinch beneath the touch. “Pray tell me, hm?” He challenges, waiting for me to plea an excuse. I say nothing, clenching my jaw and setting a rigid stare on his latent expression. </p><p>“Ye’ve naught to say? This be th’ first time.” He strokes his thumb over my lips, straining to open my mouth. My temper chilled from the fire I had once felt to a bitter spite. I eye him dead on and meet his evenness with my own. “No assault of this nature transpired under Jack’s leadership. He held their respect, not only their fear.” I hadn’t prepared for the sting, my neck snapped to the left, shifting my balance. I caught my myself on the desk’s edge with both hands, stunned from the smarting in my right cheek. I touch my hand to the crease of my lip, and stare wide-eyed at the tint of blood coating my fingertips. I had barely begun to register what had just happened when Barbossa’s stern voice echoes in my ringing ear. “That ought ta serve as a lesson to ye, wench.” He hissed, his hand still poised to strike. I fix a seething stare of disbelief on him, breath ragged from swelling rancor. “A lesson for what?” My words bite the air as I thrust him backward with my chest. “I swore to you I’d say nothing but the truth, and I’ve uttered no lie.” </p><p>In one swift motion, Barbossa pins my arm behind my back and has faced me away from him, my back to his chest. I struggle against the unfamiliar fighting tactic in vain, pain shooting from my shoulder to my wrist. “Bo’sun!” He shouts, and the disciple appears within seconds. “Sir?” Bo’sun obediently inquires. “Escort Miss. Lemaire to the brig. Her mind has taken a spell an’ she be unable to think clearly.” I whip my head to face Barbossa, constricted by the tight grasp. “My mind has never been more clear.” I snap, as Bo’sun strides the length of the room and enfolds me within his own hold. Bo’sun stains to carry my body heavy with exhaustion. I huff in vexation, “I can walk.” Bo’sun looks to Barbossa who gives a slight nod. Bo’sun releases me save for a firm hand on my lower back, and shoves me ahead of him. “Karina,” Barbossa sternly calls as I nearly exit the room. I hold my stance, steadying myself by placing a hand on the door frame, glancing slightly back. “I’d allow yer last assertions some careful consideration if I were you.”</p><p>“I’ll spare you some time.” I let my gaze travel to his perplexed glare. “I meant every word.”</p>
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